Spalletti “Inconsolable” After Champions League Exit

Luciano Spalletti was down in the dumps after Napoli failed to beat Milan in the return leg of the Champions League quarter-finals, as they scored too late and lost 1-2 on aggregate. The gaffer spoke to SportMediaset and Sky after the match.

“First of all, congratulations to Milan for advancing, as they were really good. But kudos to our team too. Unfortunately, you can’t go back in time. There’s too much pain to get over for this elimination. We have no regrets in terms of attitude and lineup choices. We were a little gassed after the international break, the 0-4 defeat was too large for our level. I don’t think we left anything on the table in the ensuing fixtures.”

“We made some naïve mistakes and showed our inexperience in our decision-making in the various moments of the match, and there were some injustices as well. The penalty kick for us in the first half was very clear. You can’t miss that. It’s a tackle, a blow that risked turning our player’s ankle.”

Spalletti thought they did enough.

“We took 37 shots in two fixtures. We can factor in other numbers, but only the result matters in the end. It primarily depends on how much you create, and I’m happy on that front. Then, you have to expose yourself a little to have this kind of displays, and you have to be capable of preventively guarding the opponents and making professional fouls, instead we used our yellow cards in less dangerous situations. We won’t be flat in Serie A because I have serious players that know how to react to losses. You can compliment me all you want, but I’m inconsolable tonight.”