Livorno president Aldo Spinelli has admitted that he is to blame for the Amaranto’s 4-0 defeat to Napoli on last Sunday.
Despite collecting eight points from their first seven matches, Spinelli admits he may have been too adventurous when speaking to the club before the encounter.
“Blame for the defeat is only mine because on Thursday I told the squad to gamble and be more open,” Spinelli told Radio Crc.
“During the first part of the match we did, but then the first goal was a cold shower, We left 70 meters of the pitch for [Dries] Mertens and he had a great run.”
Spinelli also commented on Napoli’s home advantage and the tactical decisions of Livorno’s coach Davide Nicola.
“We were naive and the San Paolo was the secret weapon, as its atmosphere is one of the best in the world.
“To leave out [Livorno defender] Emerson and replace him with [Leandro] Rinaudo was a decision that I did not share. We conceded too much to Napoli, they are much stronger and then us and we missed [Marco] Biagianti.
“Napoli’s squad is made up of great players and they are a very strong team and when someone is missing from our squad , it is difficult to compensate for the absence.”
Spinelli then offered his thoughts on the future of Nicola’s position at Livrono.
“Nicola’s job at risk? Absolutely not, he has my confidence and it was my recommendation to gamble and be more open.
“For some players their legs were shaking because of the San Paolo’s fans and many of our players have never played in Serie A. If we lost 2-0 we would be ok, but four goals are too many and that is why I said that the decisions of Nicola were wrong.”
