ANCELOTTI SATISFIED WITH ATTITUDE IN POTENTIALLY TRICKY LECCE TRIP
Speaking after a comfortable away win for Napoli at Lecce, Carlo Ancelotti praised his team’s display in what was a potential banana skin.
"This could have been a very tricky game, but I saw a great performance from the team. We were up against a well-organised side, with quality. It would have been tough to come out on top without dominating the game. With the mental and physical energy expended against Liverpool, the team might not have been right at it – however I saw an excellent performance, with intensity. At the start our passing wasn’t penetrative enough, but then we started playing more directly and managed to find the breakthrough after some heavy pressure."
When asked about the wholesale changes to his team, the coach said: "We had to make changes – it will always be the case, to allow for recovery and to get everyone involved. We’ve got lots of quality players and they’ll all be useful this season. [Arek] Milik can perform well alongside or behind the striker – he’s very good on the inside right, where he can showcase his qualities. [Fernando] Llorente has done well – he’s working very hard and you see out on the pitch the quality he has. I’m very happy, as I am with all of our attack currently."
On the race for the league title, Ancelotti commented: "It’s early days. Juventus are finding their way currently, after [Maurizio] Sarri’s arrival. Inter are bedding in with [Antonio] Conte. We just need to focus on what we’re doing and on continuing to improve. There’s a long way to go".
(Photo Getty Images)
