Genoa, Vieira: “Napoli’s Champions League experience made the difference” | OneFootball

Genoa leaves the "Diego Armando Maradona" defeated, but with the awareness of having played a game of character. Patrick Vieira's rossoblù had finished the first half in the lead, putting Napoli in difficulty with intensity and personality, before succumbing to the comeback in the second half. At the end of the match, the French coach analyzed his team's performance, acknowledging the value of the opponents but also the progress of his group.

Napoli-Genoa, Vieira: "De Bruyne changed the game, but we are on the right path"

"The first half was beautiful, we played with courage and personality. Unfortunately, we couldn't repeat ourselves in the second half, but it was difficult to maintain certain rhythms for ninety minutes," explained Vieira. The coach then spoke about the decision to start the young Ekhator, who scored the temporary lead goal: "Jeff is a boy of great talent. We are working well with our youth sector and to help players grow, we need to give them space. Only by playing can they improve."

The coach acknowledged Napoli's superiority in managing decisive moments: "Today their experience weighed in. The substitutions made the difference: when someone like De Bruyne comes in, everything changes. With his quality, he raised the team's level. They are champions, they have invested a lot, and it shows. But we must continue to work: we are on the right path."

Vieira finally commented on the many yellow cards his team received and the performance of individuals: "We have strong and fast players who love one-on-one situations, but it's a risk we take. Today Ellertson played on the left for the first time and did very well. We have legs, quality, and room for growth."

Andrea Alati

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