Luciano Spalletti hails ‘an imperious show of strength’ from 10-man Napoli to win 2-0 in Empoli, explains what is so special about Stanislav Lobotka and why Victor Osimhen is ‘a leader.’
The Partenopei notched up their 20th win in the last 21 Serie A rounds to consolidate top spot, as Ardian Ismajli scored an own goal on Piotr Zielinski’s low cross before Osimhen turned in the rebound from a Guglielmo Vicario save on Kvicha Kvaratskhelia.
Osimhen also had a goal ruled offside and Kim Min-jae’s header came off the crossbar, but the perfect performance was ruined by Mario Rui’s red card for a reaction foul as he kicked Francesco Caputo in the crotch.
“That incident was not a sign of maturity, unlike what we saw from the rest of the squad, but we also saw that the other players united together and reacted very well to it,” Spalletti told DAZN.
“The midfielders were so tough in the second half, with really furious faces determined to bring home a result that could be fundamental this season.”
The coach had already singled out Lobotka for praise in yesterday’s press conference, admitting he had tried to sign him when still in charge of Inter.
“Lobotka is hailed for his quality when the team has possession, but when the opposition try to counter, you can’t get past him. He chases everyone down, even those much taller and stronger. He has this almost cubic physique that makes him very difficult to push off his centre of gravity.
“Inter had Financial Fair Play issues at the time and we couldn’t sign him then, but the fact Cristiano Giuntoli went for him shows that Lobotka already made an impression on the best sporting directors in Europe.”
Spalletti made only one change from the side that beat Eintracht Frankfurt 2-0 in the Champions League midweek, with Mario Rui in for Mathias Olivera, but the Portuguese player was sent off.
“If players like Elmas come on and work with his intensity, determination and fight for every ball, that allows us to not suffer being a man down. The risk today was that we would not match Empoli’s level of fight, because they really do run for 100 minutes and always press you at the same intensity.
“We needed Napoli to have the usual quality, but also the same intensity, and Empoli ultimately had to give in. My players deserve huge congratulations for their performance today.”
Osimhen found the net for the eighth Serie A match in a row, but Spalletti reveals something that happened during the half-time break with Napoli already 2-0 up.
“At the end of the first half, he was a little angry with me as well going into the break as I had told him off. The first thing he said was, hey, don’t forget what happened last season. Osimhen is a leader, he has the right mentality, the desire to work with the collective and fight for the result.
“That can also damage him, because once again today he had a couple of chances that he didn’t take because he was tired from having worked so hard just before that.”
Last term, Napoli had been leading 2-0 at the Stadio Castellani only to lose 3-2.
“Everyone plays the game of a lifetime against us, so we need to keep our motivation and focus up too. That means the team has understood the right spirit. This was an imperious show of strength.”