A disappointed Rafael Benitez was frustrated at Napoli’s performance against Udinese on Sunday evening as they dropped their second straight Serie A match by identical 1-0 score lines.
The Partenopei controlled much of the possession but were rarely dangerous and were made to suffer when Kalidou Koulibaly’s headed clearance fell to the feet of Danilo who tucked in the winner, and the feeble Napoli attack was unable to respond.
“We cannot lose these types of matches. We all have to give more offensively and defensively,” the Spaniard told RAI Sport in a post-match interview.
Napoli’s malaise began when they were knocked out of the Champions League playoff against Athletic Club and the Azzurri have yet to recover.
A last-second victory against Genoa saved the Partenopei’s blushes, but the San Paolo club have now dropped consecutive matches against Chievo and Udinese for their worst start in five seasons, a record unworthy of a club who spoke openly of their scudetto aspirations during the summer buildup.
In anticipation of Wednesday’s match against Palermo, Benitez rotated the squad significantly and has come under scrutiny for the number of changes to a lineup which didn’t feature Marek Hamsik, Jorginho or Gokhan Inler at the Stadio Friuli.
“A squad at our level must have the capacity to win even with two or three new players in the lineup. This is what I told the club.”
