The defeat against Empoli and the draw against Frosinone laid the foundations for a bitter end to the season for the Napolia season already marked by many difficult moments and by a context profoundly different from the idyllic one of last year, that of the Scudetto. Francesco Calzona, the Italian coach, spoke in the press conference, focusing on the team's difficult moment and the next match against Roma. This is what was reported by AreaNapoli:
“In Empoli we created a lot and defended badly. It worries me that we concede a lot of goals, even if they are dangerous in attack: I pointed this out to the players, who appeared dejected at the beginning of the week. We have a duty to finish the championship in the best possible way, we owe it to the fans and the city. We train quite well, but we have to take responsibility. Against the Rome I hope pride comes out. The Giallorossi are in good condition and are doing very well. I expect a great match, in terms of motivation.”
The wasted opportunities: “We threw away some good opportunities to improve the table. Now our future doesn't just depend on us, but I asked the boys to think only of Roma. On Sunday they will be satisfied if I see a good performance in the possession and non-possession phases. With performances also come results.”
If a retreat can help: “No, but we need to be together as much as possible. The choice was agreed with the club, sometimes being away from the family can help. Retirement is not punitivebut it has to be productive.”
Problems with high balls in defense: “We need to defend the goal better. It's also a question of positioning. We lack the desire not to concede goals. In the one-on-one situation in Empoli, we should have done better.”
Message to the fans: “I don't have anything to tell them, we will have a full stadium at Maradona and we know they will support us. We have to unleash their desire: it's very sad and disturbing to see so many of us following us away and performing below our standards.”
Objectives at this point: “Would the Europa League or Conference League be mere consolations? We shouldn't make comparisons with last year: Napoli were spectacular, I base myself on our numbers and I see that the defensive phase is negative. I judge the work done since I arrived, not Before”.
The problems experienced so fari: “The team has problems, De Laurentiis also said it, he is very nice to me and is close to me. Whoever came here to replace Elmas, Lozano and Kim didn't have much impact: it's not all their fault, they arrived in a particular season. Personally, I expected to encounter fewer problems, but after a few days I realized that the situation was not as expected.”
“The players cannot help but feel responsible, I coach and make my choices based on the weekly work. Everyone has had their opportunities, it is not possible that someone does not feel the responsibility: it applies to everyone at Castel Volturno”.
Rumors about the future: “We are professionals, we are well paid and we do the job we dreamed of as children. It is normal that my work can be questioned, and the same goes for the players. It would be too nice to read that we are all good.”
Demotivated team? “Empoli lacked the desire to win. Against Frosinone we created a lot, I saw more desire there. I don't see players running more to make up for their teammate's mistake. We have to react, I don't want to end the year like this and I told the players this.”
Rome: “Many things worry me: they have great physicality and score a lot from dead balls… There are many aspects to worry about, but if we play from Naples we can have our say. Roma are doing well and have won many matches, it will be tough, but we must find ourselves and try to get out of this situation regardless of the opponent.”
