Walter Mazzarri is ‘very satisfied’ with Napoli’s performance in the goalless draw away to Lazio, despite not having a shot on target.
The Partenopei were decimated at the Stadio Olimpico, as Giovanni Simeone, Kvicha Kvaratskhelia and Jens Cajuste were suspended, plus Alex Meret, Natan and Mathias Olivera injured, Victor Osimhen and Andre Frank Zambo Anguissa at AFCON.
“I am very satisfied, we were up against a very strong opponent,” Mazzarri told DAZN.
“Last season, Lazio finished second, we were missing a lot of players and had a great response from some lads who hadn’t played in ages.
“We already saw a good response in Saudi Arabia at the Supercoppa, so I got confirmation that I am working with some great men here. We only had a few training sessions, but I can already see something that I like.”
The absences may well explain their timid approach, which was focused largely on protecting the three-man defence, but they still did not manage a single shot on target.
It is more than just a fluke, as Napoli have now failed to score in eight of the 14 games played since Mazzarri took over from Rudi Garcia.
“It’s always difficult to keep possession against Maurizio Sarri’s teams. The statistics show that the team is playing football, it has an identity and doing things that make me happy,” he said after seeing Napoli had 61 per cent possession at the Olimpico.
“We lacked the ability to attack the space today, but Raspadori doesn’t have the same characteristics that would allow us to do that very much. For the rest, I am satisfied with the performance. We were solid, worked as a team, and that was not always the case when I got here.”
Mazzarri changed recently to a three-man defence, but will not rule out reshaping it to the 4-3-3 that won the Scudetto last season.
“I adapted the system to the players at my disposal and today that seemed the best option. When Osimhen, Kvara and the others return, if the team is in good shape, we can play 4-3-3.”
Osimhen effectively confirmed this week that he intends to leave Napoli at the end of the season, while Zielinski is also expected to walk away as a free agent towards Inter.
“I talk a great deal to my players and I congratulate them. I also want to congratulate Diego Demme, who has not played in a long time, but is so professional.
“When lads have someone guiding them who is fair, they just have to give their best. They have a contract. If they were not doing that, I would take them off within 20 minutes.”
#LazioNapoli, #Mazzarri: "Alleno grandi uomini. Faccio i complimenti a #Zielinski e #Osimhen" https://t.co/WzgknrkMeL
— Gianluca Di Marzio (@DiMarzio) January 28, 2024