DAZN – Vieira: Strong first half, but Napoli’s quality told | OneFootball

Patrick Vieira analyzes with clarity the defeat of his Genoa at the "Diego Armando Maradona." Speaking to DAZN, the rossoblù coach commented on his team's performance, highlighting the excellent initial approach and the team's growth, despite the final result.

Genoa, Vieira: “I spoke with De Bruyne..”

“I believe that in the first half we played a great game, both tactically and in terms of discipline,” Vieira explained. “We managed the spaces well, pressed with balance, and succeeded in creating difficulties for a very strong opponent. However, in the second half, we lowered the intensity too much, and against a team like Napoli, this becomes a mistake you pay for.”

The French coach acknowledged the superiority of the azzurri in key moments: “The difference was made by their quality. When you have players like De Bruyne on the field, everything becomes more complicated. They have champions used to handling certain situations, while we lacked experience in some moments. But these are games that make you grow: we showed courage, and some of the guys gave important signals.”

Vieira then spoke about Ellertson, deployed on the left flank: “He is a very fast player, and we knew that Napoli is dangerous on the wings. We chose to cover those spaces, and in the first half, we succeeded well. When we press, one of the center-backs has to step out: against those who create numerical superiority, it's always difficult.”

Finally, a word on De Bruyne, his former teammate from Manchester City days: “He didn't say anything particular, we just talked about the old times at City. It's always nice to see him again: he is an absolute champion.”

Andrea Alati

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