Luciano Spalletti explains what made him feel ‘it is wonderful to be the coach of these lads’ as Napoli beat Bologna 3-2 to secure top spot in Serie A.
The Partenopei have amassed 10 consecutive victories in all competition, but were really pushed to the limit by Bologna at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.
Joshua Zirkzee had put the visitors in front, then Juan Jesus and Hirving Lozano turned it around, only for an Alex Meret howler to let the Musa Barrow snapshot through.
Victor Osimhen sealed the win on a perfectly-weighted Kvicha Kvaratskhelia through ball.
“What became fundamental was managing to change the inertia of the game,” Spalletti told DAZN.
“We always approached it the same way, trying to get the ball into the penalty area, to chase it down in numbers, and these are very important matches to take home, as there is the risk the team can relax and try to play in a ‘normal’ fashion.
“It was good to see that after mistakes, the players would try to hunt the ball back down immediately. That made me think it is wonderful to be the coach of these lads.
“Once again, the players who came off the bench proved decisive in the end, so that can be more important than starting the match. Everyone is involved.”
The results prove that Napoli have been able to maintain consistency regardless of who starts upfront, as Osimhen is still trying to fully recover after a long injury lay-off.
“It allows you to make changes that don’t need to be rushed, because you know there are other options at your disposal,” continued Spalletti.
“Victor is a different type of striker to Giacomo Raspadori, he attacks the space, and Jack was also tired after a lot of games.”
This is an historic achievement, as Napoli have now won 10 consecutive matches in all competitions.
“The team plays great football, I see them involved and we want to keep adding more options to our approach. I see they are interested in training and want to do their best for their teammates.”