Christian Maggio calls for patience from Napoli fans – ‘it’s not easy to adapt to a new system in a few months’.
Maurizio Sarri replaced Rafael Benitez on the San Paolo bench during the summer, but the Partenopei have taken just one point from their first two games.
“We anticipated this,” Maggio explained in an interview with Radio Kiss Kiss Napoli.
“We knew it wouldn’t be easy. The same thing is happening with Sarri as we went through with Benitez. It’s not easy to adapt to a new system in a few months.
Christian Maggio calls for patience from Napoli fans – ‘it’s not easy to adapt to a new system in a few months’.
Maurizio Sarri replaced Rafael Benitez on the San Paolo bench during the summer, but the Partenopei have taken just one point from their first two games.
“We anticipated this,” Maggio explained in an interview with Radio Kiss Kiss Napoli.
“We knew it wouldn’t be easy. The same thing is happening with Sarri as we went through with Benitez. It’s not easy to adapt to a new system in a few months.
“The new Coach has changed a lot, he’s obsessive about defence and movement. There are still some things we haven’t learned, so we’ve made mistakes by making some wrong moves.
“I’m convinced we can do well though, as we have the qualities to take on anyone.
“We have to do what the Coach tells us, the mistakes that we’ve made aren’t just down to individuals, but the entire defence.
“None of us is a phenomenon, individual mistakes can happen, but we have to concentrate on our shape as a team.
“Against both Sassuolo and Sampdoria we played well for half of the match. It’s a long season, and we have time to catch up.
“All we need is to be in top condition, and we’ll play with intensity, we still have to get over the pre-season work.
“There are things to improve tactically, but when we’re ready we’ll show our value.
“Serie A is a bit strange [this season]. We have to look at ourselves and try to improve as soon as possible to avoid losing significant ground.
“It’s too early to think about our objectives for the season, we’ll see what we’ve achieved at the end of the season.
“The fans? I can put myself in their shoes, it’s not easy for them, but we need them at all times. They shouldn’t be too critical, and help us achieve our objectives.
“We always try to do our best, and to honour them every Sunday. I’d ask them to stay calm.”
Maggio also gave his opinion on some of the new arrivals on the playing side this summer.
“They’re all good players. We need everyone if we’re to compete on several fronts. [Mirko] Valdifiori and [Elseid] Hysaj have the best understanding of Sarri’s methods [having worked with him at Empoli].
“Vlad Chiriches? He’s a good defender. The same is true of Allan, who is the dynamic midfielder Napoli have been missing for some time.”
Star striker Gonzalo Higuain remained in Naples this summer, despite reported interest from Arsenal, and Maggio believes he’ll be very important.
“He’s not cut-off from his teammates, but he’s always thinking about goals,” Hamsik revealed.
“I’m happy that he scored on Sunday. In the last few days he’s been laid low with flu, and he couldn’t join up with his national team, but he’s a very important player and he’ll show his value again this year by scoring important goals, and aiming to top the scoring charts.”