Allegri: We made many mistakes with the final pass, but we still played a good game

After leading Napoli to a 0-1 home defeat against Arsenal in the opening round of the Champions League league phase, Napoli head coach Massimiliano Allegri attended the press conference.

Coach, yesterday you asked the team to show pride and ambition, so I would like to ask whether you saw a team with pride and ambition on the pitch tonight. Also, Arteta said this was a very difficult match, but they created many chances and should have won by a bigger margin. This is your third consecutive defeat, so do you agree with Arteta's assessment? How do you view this loss?

Of course, they did create some good opportunities, but we already expected this match to be very difficult. I think Arsenal have a very strong squad and are a top team, while our players performed well tonight. I am happy for Favasuli's Champions League debut; he was playing for Catanzaro last season, so his performance was quite good. There was also Vergara. They are both young players who need to gain experience in the league and the Champions League. So where did we make mistakes? We made many mistakes in our choices with the final pass, and these are details where we can definitely improve.

Good evening, coach. How do you process these defeats? How can you restart and immediately reverse this trend? To get back on track, a good win against Bologna may be needed, but considering their situation, it will not be easy...

Regarding how to process the defeats, there is certainly bitterness and disappointment, because after suffering other losses, we played a match today where, technically speaking, especially in the first half, we performed very well. In the second half, we lacked some physical energy and leg strength because some players are in different situations: for example, Gilmour was making his first start, and De Bruyne had just returned. Overall, we must remain calm and composed. Because if we had defended at certain moments in previous matches like we did in the second half tonight, perhaps we would not have lost against Como and Inter.

Good evening, coach. I would like to ask about several individual players. What are the current situations of Meret and Alisson Santos? Also, can you clarify what happened with Noa Lang?

Regarding Noa Lang, it is simple: his behavior this morning was not suitable for taking part in the match. That is all. As for Meret, the medical team will assess him tomorrow. Regarding Alisson, I think it will be difficult for him to return quickly. I mean, we will probably have to wait until after the international break to see him return.

Good evening. Regarding the progress you mentioned from the team, are you more satisfied with that improvement, or more disappointed by the defeat that was decided in the final 15 minutes?

To be honest, I am very, very angry now, because we have lost three matches in a row, and the most important thing is always the result. However, putting the result aside, we must analyze what was positive and what was negative. In my view, the negative aspects tonight were that we made many mistakes, or several key mistakes, in choosing the final pass, and at certain moments in the first half we did not control possession well enough.

But overall, the team still played a good match. The lads must stay calm because we can absolutely get back up and recover our form. Now we must first focus on the match against Bologna, and after the break we will turn our attention back to the Champions League.

Coach, seeing Gilmour and Lobotka paired as the two deeper midfielders, was this an emergency solution or something you had already considered? Could it also be a viable option for the future?

No, they played very well. Obviously, having two players in front of the defense makes you much stronger in building possession, but you also sacrifice some ability to make attacking runs from deep. However, I can say they played a good match. It was Gilmour's first start, and his performance was truly excellent.

Coach, in preparation for the match against Bologna and starting again, you mentioned yesterday that against opponents such as Como and Inter, the team's overall defensive performance was lacking at certain moments. Today we seemed to see an improvement in defensive attitude, especially in the first half. Is that correct?

Absolutely. In the first half, even looking at the statistics, possession management was around 52% to 48%. We were excellent at breaking through their high press and playing out, although we could have done even better. In the second half, they had the upper hand, but we had several counterattack opportunities where we could have scored. They did create some important threats, but at those moments the team's defensive attitude was very good, showing a strong determination not to concede.

Facing this special period, which is largely caused by the tight schedule, while maintaining a balanced mindset, how much optimism do you have? In the long term, how much can this Napoli improve substantially? What kind of image and position should this team show in Serie A and the Champions League this season?

Regarding the schedule, it is indeed very difficult. But I think—I have already told the lads this, I repeated it tonight, and I said it before—if in certain moments against Como and Inter we had the same attitude as tonight, we might still have conceded goals, but at least we would have made it much harder for the opponents to win, rather than conceding too easily as before, which was far below the fighting spirit the lads showed tonight.

Besides that, we absolutely need to improve our physical condition. Some players still need to improve their fitness because they do not yet have enough match rhythm in their legs. We are only at the beginning of the season.

So what is Napoli's position and role in the league? First, it is to beat Bologna at home, because we have not won a home match this season. Secondly, it is to rebuild our position in the standings. Of course, it is absolutely impossible to fix the table with just one match, but I believe that in around one and a half to two months, we will have everything back on track.

As for the Champions League objective, it is to advance from the first phase. It will not be easy, because in the Champions League every match—apart from tonight's game against Arsenal—requires maximum determination, but that is also what makes this great competition fascinating.