Luciano Spalletti explains what Kvicha Kvaratskhelia and Napoli must do to prevent defeats like today’s in Monza, then hints the club might need to ‘build a team at the last minute’ if there are big changes this summer.
The Partenopei were suffering something of a hangover from last week’s Scudetto celebrations, as they were beaten 2-0 by Monza to goals from Dany Mota Carvalho and Andrea Petagna.
“Our qualities are to keep the ball, move it around and take control of the opposition, but we weren’t clean enough in our passing and if we had to keep chasing down the lost ball, it made it difficult. That is not what we are good at and not what we want to do,” Spalletti told DAZN.
“When you lose, there is always irritation, for the players as well as the coach. You are a professional not because you get paid, but because you behave like a professional.
“We celebrated after Fiorentina, but then worked well in training and what happened today should not happen. They put the effort in, I cannot complain about that, but there has to be a certain level of self-discipline. That thing of not playing often makes you rusty, it becomes an excuse to rely on and limits your thinking.
“We are seeking happiness and achievement, so players will feel better when they realise it depends on them and not on others. It takes a lot of the weight off their minds.”
The performance seemed to improve when Kvaratskhelia came off the bench, although Spalletti had words of advice for the Georgia international too.
“Kvaratskhelia is very good on the ball, but needs to do more when he doesn’t have the ball and the others are chasing it down. If he keeps the right positions, it becomes easier for his teammates to work in reduced spaces.
“You can see when he does have the ball, everyone doubles up and fears him, so that opens up spaces for the others. He can also squeeze through any gap with his skill, because he is a stratospheric player.”
It is reported this week that Spalletti agreed to extend his contract with Napoli, although when told he has the bonus of time to prepare for next season, the coach didn’t seem too convinced that is true and left the door open to unpredictable events.
“Clubs like Napoli are accustomed to planning, even if it is no longer like it was in the past. Sometimes you can book a ticket to go somewhere with your family on vacation, then something changes and you are forced to pull out. That is the same for coaches and players in this line of work, you have to be ready for anything.
“Napoli proved it is capable of building a team, even by choosing players at the last minute, and Giuntoli’s staff proposed players we looked at together and who were all at the highest level. They have players in their sights who can be evaluated more carefully if needed.”
There was an adorable moment during the warm-up when Spalletti took a little boy called Daniele from the crowd to meet the players and then even sit on the bench for a few minutes.
“He is so cute. He was going ‘wooooooow, it’s wonderful’ at everything. He asked to be on the bench with me, he gave everyone a high five in the locker room. Look how happy he was! He wants to be a coach in future.”