With the 1:0 loss in the Champions League home game against Union Berlin, Napoli missed out on a virtually certain ticket to the round of 16. Nevertheless, their chances of progressing are high – as are their chances of ending their home slump in the near future, if coach Rudi Garcia is to be believed
Weeks ago, Rudi Garcia was already under fire – including from his own president Aurelio de Laurentiis. But the coach has kept his job since then, winning two of the three most recent Serie A games and overturning a 2-0 deficit with his team against Milan.
Now, however, the Neapolitans missed out on a second consecutive win over Union; after a 1-0 victory in the first match, they only managed a 1-1 draw in front of their home crowd at the Diego Armando Maradona – and that after leading 1-0. After Matteo Politano, the best man on the pitch, had scored, the hosts ran into an open goal after a corner of their own – which David Datro Fofana punished.
The result left them with just seven points in Champions League Group C, not nine – coupled with the unpleasant fact that SSC had not won at home since September 27 (4:1 against Udinese Calcio).
Advancing is still relatively easy in the final two matchdays and especially in the final home game against rivals Braga (December 12). Accordingly, the mood did not sink completely into the cellar after the final whistle, and the fans only whistled a little when coach Rudi Garcia took the strong Politano off the pitch for ex-Frankfurt player Jesper Lindström minutes before the end.
Speaking of Garcia: The coach answered questions after the 1:1 draw, analyzed the game and said he was basically satisfied.
“We absolutely deserved a win,” the former al-Nassr, Lyon, Marseille and Roma coach told Sky Sport Italia. “We played well, we just needed to attack more consistently and score the second goal. “
“This will serve as a lesson for next time “
What bothered him vehemently, however, was the behavior before the 1:1: “That conceded goal ruined everything in the end … We should never have conceded a goal from our own corner. That was really the only negative aspect for us that evening. Normally we have three at the back when we’re leading by four.” But that wasn’t the case here, as Garcia continued: “Maybe because we took the corner far too quickly. We didn’t get into positions that way. That will serve as a lesson for next time.”
The winless run of home games, on the other hand, was not firmly anchored in his mind. Looking ahead to the clash with Empoli next Sunday, the Napoli coach said “This run will end on Sunday!” Although his team first had to recover after their performance in the top flight, the will to win was unbroken: “We have to win and climb in Serie A.” The reigning champions are currently only in fourth place and are already seven points behind Inter Milan
