Despite going 1-0 ahead in just the eighth minute of play, Napoli finished Wednesday night’s UEFA Champions League encounter with a 3-1 defeat to Real Madrid, leaving club president Aurelio De Laurentiis fuming.
While nerves were clearly a factor in their performance, the Partenopei provided a respectable showing at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu and came close to netting a second goal on multiple occasions.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFwtliaL_rw[/youtube]
Though the squad selection and player attitudes were not to the president’s liking, who hit out at Maurizio Sarri’s team after the match.
“I don’t want to get into the decisions, as those are down to the Coach,” he told Mediaset Premium, before somewhat contradicting himself.
“I would never dare complain about any choices. I might disagree with the choices, but I wouldn’t dare tell them to anyone.”
De Laurentiis then continued to tell an international audience exactly what he thought.
“I want to see more experimentation, as that can be healthy,” he exclaimed.
“We’re reaching the end of a season in which the new signings have barely played at all and we cannot understand why. If we’d known this earlier, we could’ve invested that money elsewhere.
“I think we lacked that grit, that determination. I also say if we think that defending with a high line we can beat everyone, then in some games we probably need to adopt a different tactical approach.”
Watch the guys of FIF TV discuss Napoli’s performance and the controversial comments made by the club president.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFwtliaL_rw[/youtube]
