Luciano Spalletti says Napoli had to ‘move the ball more quickly’ to beat Empoli and admits Piotr Zielinski was scared because he felt pain in his chest.
The Poland international was replaced after just ten minutes, suffering from respiratory problems.
“He felt pain in his chest and we didn’t even think about keeping him on the pitch for a longer time,” Spalletti told DAZN.
“One thinks that something can happen. He was scared by the pain in his chest, so we decided to replace him.”
Napoli midfielder Zielinski goes off with respiratory problems
The Azzurri’s 1-0 defeat against Empoli is their second loss in a row in Serie A this season. Spalletti’s men have collected just one point in the last three league matches.
“We didn’t have enough quality in the decisive moments. We were not clinical and we made the wrong decisions in crucial moments of the match,” Spalletti explained.
“We should have kept the ball possession, pass the ball quickly and make them lose points of reference. We struggled, we had to run a lot and burn energy.
“Right now, many players are tired and we’d need a favourable episode,” Spalletti continued.
“Elmas picked up a knock in his fibula, it’s quite big and evident.”
Serie A | Napoli 0-1 Empoli: Fluke Cutrone goal stuns Spalletti
The North Macedonia international was forced off the pitch in the second half after a tackle of Empoli defender Fabiano Parisi inside the Tuscans’ box.
“I’ve been suspended already so I don’t have anything to say about this,” Spalletti said smiling.
The 62-year-old was suspended, so his assistant Marco Domenichini was on the sidelines to give instructions to Napoli players.
“I don’t really know the rule, the defender cleared the area,” the Tuscan tactician continued. “There was a contact, but I prefer to talk about the game than this incident.”
The Partenopei’s injury crisis continues with Victor Osimhen, Fabian Ruiz, Kalidou Koulibaly and Stanislav Lobotka out of action.
Zambo Anguissa and Lorenzo Insigne returned to the pitch against Empoli today.
“Some players have played many games. Those who returned from COVID are not in shape. That’s why we had to move the ball quickly and don’t run too much,” Spalletti said.
“Our technical values had to prevail, we were slightly better in the second half, but overall, we lacked quality in the final third.”
The Partenopei will visit Milan at San Siro next week. Is it more a threat or an opportunity?
“It’s a great opportunity for us because we can fix a few things. Finally, we have a full week of training ahead,” Spalletti concluded.