Napoli turned the Milan contest on its head after half-time thanks to a few key substitutions and a substantial attitude change after conceding twice in the first 45 minutes. Rudi Garcia, who devised the tweaks, and the players weren’t the only ones responsible for the comeback. Aurelio De Laurentiis was in the locker room during the interval to motivate the squad, Corriere dello Sport informs.
The president held a brief speech and had a side chat with the coach to learn his moves in advance. He had promised a bonus for a victory. The tension was palpable. Amir Rrahmani, who had an unusually sloppy showing, quarreled with an executive.
The center-back was one of the three subs. He was replaced by Leo Ostigard, while Mathias Olivera and Giovanni Simeone entered the game for Mario Rui and Elijf Elmas, leading to a tactical modification from 4-3-3 to 4-2-3-1 that paid big dividends.
The Partenopei tied the game through gems by Matteo Politano and Giacomo Raspadori and had the chance to win until a late red card to Natan halted their momentum.
Our Take on Napoli and De Laurentiis
The half-time adjustments were surely decisive along with their heightened determination and fighting spirit and Milan losing pieces. While the owner probably contributed to rallying the troops a little, his PR team is surely working overtime these days.
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