Here’s what Massimiliano Allegri and Luciano Spalletti said during their post-match press conferences at the Allianz Stadium about Napoli‘s imminent Serie A title, their Champions League regrets and Romelu Lukaku’s Coppa Italia ban lifted.
The Partenopei secured a 1-0 win in Turin thanks to a late striker of Giacomo Raspadori. This means they will win the title next weekend if they beat Salernitana on Saturday and Lazio, their closest opponent, fail to beat Inter at San Siro on Sunday.
Football Italia was among the accredited media at the Allianz Stadium and attended the post-match press conferences of Allegri and Spalletti.
Allegri
“I am very happy tonight, I think [Matias] Soulé played a good game. Daniele Rugani and Federico Gatti were extraordinary against Victor Osimhen. We could have made the most of some situations in the first half, but this is part of the development path. We showed we are not experts, but this is part of the journey. Some of the guys are not accustomed to playing these games.
“We played a good game against a strong Napoli that deserved to win the title.”
On Cuadrado being out of position when Raspadori scored: “We were placed perfectly, we were too light because we didn’t follow the man.”
Speaking about Lukaku’s Coppa Italia ban being lifted, Allegri said: “I am not the one who decides, what I think counts nothing. There are competent authorities and we have to accept every decision with serenity. These situations should not burn our energies.”
On negotiations with Napoli before they hired Spalletti, revealed by Aurelio De Laurentiis: “I don’t know what he said exactly. He looked for me, but in the end, I made a different choice.”
Spalletti
On Napoli’s imminent Serie A title victory: “There are still points to be earned, probably we’ll do it because there is an important margin, but I don’t like to celebrate in advance as it happened this week. If we celebrate together, the joy will be doubled.”
On the match: “My players were excellent, they knew what to expect. It’s impossible not to be a little disappointed about the Champions League exit. After that, it was difficult to come here and return home with a good result. Everyone has been helping us, also after the elimination. We have received a lot of support: ‘Let’s go ahead, it doesn’t matter.’ And then we put in this performance.
“Of course, there is a bit of regret because some things didn’t go as we wanted. We must find the right solutions to avoid traps and there’s joy for how we conducted the league.”
On rotations: “We have a fantastic group of players; those who haven’t played much must be praised. It’s difficult to be as ready as Raspa. He is a smart guy and a hard worker, he knows what he has to do. Perhaps some of them should have played more.
What he liked about tonight’s game: “I could write a book about it! I liked the lads’ personality, and the reaction they’ve had over the last three days. It was a top opponent and they were ready. I told them ‘well done’ but louder than this. They deserved it, it was a great result, now we have to finish the job.”