Luciano Spalletti admits Napoli felt ‘sated’ with topping the Champions League group and didn’t have the same hunger as Liverpool in the final minutes. ‘It was when we felt comfortable that we should’ve pushed.’
It was the first defeat of the season for the Partenopei and ended their run of 13 consecutive victories in all competition, not to mention their chances of making it a perfect Champions League group phase.
Leo Ostigard had his opener disallowed at Anfield for a very tight offside call down to the millimetres, but the two late Liverpool goals were very similar.
In both cases, headers on a corner were parried by Alex Meret on the line only for Mohamed Salah and Darwin Nunez to turn in the rebound.
“I think we put in a great performance, because for most of the game we kept the ball well, created hypothetical chances and kept the match in total balance without ever struggling. That was fundamental,” Spalletti told Sky Sport Italia.
“Then as time wore on I saw the side feeling a bit sated with the draw, so I made changes to introduce more pace and sparkle, but it wasn’t enough.
“In terms of mentality, it was precisely when we felt comfortable that we should’ve pushed, because we had nothing to lose. Having said that, Liverpool clearly are more accustomed to keeping that intensity and pace for 90 minutes and more.
“This is a strong squad, because to come here and play the way we did for long periods means there is belief in ourselves. We need to put it into practice against the big clubs so we have proof of our strength and we nearly did it tonight.”
Nonetheless, it is only the second time in their history that Napoli have won a Champions League group after 2016-17, and confirms no Italian side since Milan in 1992-93 has been able to win all six group games.
“That is a wonderful result, as we were up against Liverpool and had a stratospheric, extraordinary set of performances from my players.”
The fact two goals came from corners was perhaps not entirely surprising, as that is where Napoli have struggled a little this season.
“We held out well physically too, but conceded once we fell away and allowed more corners. We knew they tended to have 13-15 corners on average per home game, so without physicality, muscle and height in the box, you’re going to have problems.
“Nonetheless, this match confirms that we are a strong team.”
More like he felt comfortable leaving out Raspadori thinking they can win that way. You made a bad decision and Atalanta will learn from this and even defeat Napoli, changing the leaderbaord.