Napoli, Spinazzola: Back three gives cover, we still believe in Champions League | OneFootball

Shake off the European disappointment and start again immediately. This is the mantra echoing in the Napoli locker room the day after the defeat in Lisbon. Acting as the spokesperson for the group is Leonardo Spinazzola, who spoke to the official radio station Radio CRC to analyze without filters what went wrong against Benfica and to rally the team ahead of the away match in Udine.

Napoli, Spinazzola Makes No Excuses: “In Lisbon We Lacked Energy, But We’ll Erase Everything in Udine”

The former Roma player doesn’t look for excuses regarding the performance at the “Da Luz”: “From the first minute, it was clear they had a different energy,” he admits honestly. “They got to the second balls first and won more tackles. We saw it again today in the video room: we were missing a bit of energy and sharpness.” However, optimism for advancing in the Champions League remains intact: “There are still 6 points up for grabs, we believe in it. But now is not the time to do the math, we have to take it one step at a time.” He also shares a thought for his former mentor José Mourinho, whom he faced as an opponent: “He looked good, he even seemed younger to me,” jokes Spinazzola.

With Europe behind them, the focus shifts entirely to the league and the match against Udinese, scheduled for Sunday. Spinazzola warns everyone about the dangers of the match: “There are no easy games. Udinese is a very physically structured team; if you don’t bring the same intensity and aggression, you’re taking a big risk.” From a tactical point of view, the winger endorses the flexibility required by Conte, downplaying the impact of switching to a three-man defense: “Obviously, you’re more covered with an extra center-back, but in terms of mechanisms and adjustments, it changes just enough. Since the start of the year, we’ve been working on man-to-man duels, so we know what to do regardless of the formation.”

The key to handling such a tight schedule? Obsessive recovery. “Those who played 90 minutes must focus only on resting: nutrition, sleep, massages. We do everything possible to regenerate ourselves.” Finally, a comment on the Italian Super Cup against Milan: “We’re playing for an important trophy against a great team, but we can’t afford to get distracted. The absolute priority now is to erase the defeat against Benfica by immediately turning things around in Udine.”

Andrea Alati

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇮🇹 here.