Luciano Spalletti is happy Napoli kept their identity against Liverpool but expects to see the same commitment from his players ‘starting from tomorrow’s training session.’
The Partenopei shocked Liverpool with a 4-1 win at the Stadio Maradona in the opening match of the Champions League Group A.
Spalletti had lost his only previous meeting with Jurgen Klopp in 2014, but the German tactician has now lost four games from four in Naples.
“It’s an important result, one judges his performance depending on the opponents and they are called Liverpool so it’s surely a result that makes the news,” Spalletti told Amazon Prime Video.
“What’s important is to play our football regardless of who we face and do it continuously, without interruptions. That’s what highlights the level of personality.”
The Italian coach said yesterday that he wouldn’t have settled for a draw and his players showed the right commitment since the very start. They scored three goals in the first half, missing two more big chances, including a penalty kick fluffed by Victor Osimhen.
“You never settle [for a draw], you never tell your players that they have limits because, because solutions can be found and nothing is impossible when there is this availability [from players],” said Spalletti.
“We played a good game, but we gave no lessons, we should not be presumptuous. Tomorrow morning we must train well, it’s your duty when you wear this kit. You must be able to do tomorrow what you did today.”
Spalletti could not celebrate too much on the touchline as he had fractured his collarbone last weekend, undergoing surgery on Tuesday. During yesterday’s press conference, he was seen with a sling holding his right arm.
“I wouldn’t have celebrated anyway because I had to keep my players on alert,” the coach said.
“When you face these teams, one detail is enough to change the game. After I made the subs, we let them lead the game and it wasn’t fine, but this is a positive start.”
Congratulations to Napoli. The only Italian team actually turning up from start to finish. Hopefully, others will take some inspiration.