Manchester City look like an “amateur team” ahead of Napoli showdown boasts Italy legend | OneFootball

Italian football icon Paolo Di Canio has slammed Manchester City ahead of their crunch European clash with Napoli, labelling Pep Guardiola’s side as an “amateur team”.

The comments come just days before City open their UEFA Champions League campaign at the Etihad Stadium, hosting last season’s Serie A winners in what feels like a pivotal night in the new-look league phase.

Pep Guardiola’s squad head into the contest with mounting external pressure, as observers continue to question both their defensive stability and their ability to integrate new summer arrivals quickly enough, despite off the back of a 3-0 win over Manchester United.

City’s group of fixtures leaves little margin for error, with the Premier League giants facing away trips to AS Monaco and Villarreal before a heavyweight home tie against Borussia Dortmund. A daunting clash with Real Madrid in December also looms large.

The latest criticism follows weeks of intensified scrutiny, ongoing throughout the opening international break of the new campaign. Opponents and pundits alike have highlighted that, despite City’s depth of quality in attack, their backline has been slow to adapt to tactical tweaks.

Now, speaking this week in the build-up to Napoli’s visit to the Etihad Stadium during a conversation with Il Mattino, Paolo Di Canio has labelled Manchester City as looking like an “amateur team” out of possession this season.

“This is a great opportunity and we need to seize it immediately,” Di Canio said of Napoli’s hopes in the north-west of England later this week, as translated and relayed by Sport Witness.

“From what we’ve seen in the first few games, they’re in disarray at the back,” he continued. “They’ve brought in a lot of new players, and when they lose the ball, they’re almost an amateur team.

“Before, anyone who went to play against [Manchester] City respected them, but now, even if City are up 3-0, everyone knows they can recover.”

The remarks will likely add fire to what was already shaping up to be a tense opening fixture, with Pep Guardiola previously keen to stress the importance of adapting quickly to the expanded Champions League league phase – which came to the fore for the first time last season.

From Manchester City’s perspective, such stinging assessments may serve as useful fuel, and a convincing win on Thursday night would not only answer their critics but also set a much-needed tone ahead of a congested run of fixtures across Europe and domestically.

Conversely, any faltering start could reinforce the likes of Paolo Di Canio’s claims from those within the media, and hand Napoli an early psychological advantage in the competition.