Gattuso Believes That Napoli’s 2-0 Defeat to Granada Was an Unfair Result

Napoli succumbed to a 2-0 defeat against Granada in the Europa League, but Gennaro Gattuso, manager of Gli Azzurri believes that the result does not tell the entire story of the game.

In the press conference after the game, Gattuso felt that much of Napoli’s trouble can be attributed to squad issues, as well as his players’ wastefulness in front of goal.

Gattuso says that winger Matteo Politano struggled to breathe and find his pacing throughout the game. Also, he believes that Victor Osimhen was the only player to pose a real threat to Granada’s defense and that in the future, his players need to work better in front of goal.

The manager also states that 2-1 would have been a fairer scoreline, given that Napoli enjoyed more shots off target and a better posession rate. Gattuso thinks that, overall, his players’ display was not an altogether poor one.

Asked if he was caught off-guard by the manner in which his Spanish opponents played, Gattuso says that he had researched Granada well and knew what to expect. However, the team’s tendency to play sharp, vertical passes often got the better of Napoli’s defense.

Still, the manager is confident that his side can create an offset in a week’s time when the teams meet again in Naples.

Others are not so confident with newspaper Repubblica widely riticizing the Partenopei side’s performance and believing that Granada’s victory in the two-legged tie is now only a formality.