“Hirving is an important player for us, last year he had poor performances,” said the coach.
Gennaro GattusoThe Napoli coach assured on Wednesday that he misses Hirving Lozano, especially because of his growth in the campaign and that his team barely has fourteen players from the first team to face the Andalusian team, but he does not want it to become an excuse.
“Lozano is an important player for us, last year he had a performance below his possibilities. He is low like many others, but we have Politano, with Insigne doing well. We hope to recover many players as soon as possible,” he said. .
The strategist added that his team cannot mourn the large number of losses they will face on Thursday in the first round of the round of 16 of the Europa League against Granada, which they consider an “atypical Spanish team”.
“We are in an emergency, we know it, but we did not come here on holiday. We want to have a great game and a great Napoli will be needed,” Gattuso said at the press conference before the appointment of Nuevo Los Cármenes Stadium.
“We can’t cry, we have to face the matches and take it seriously,” the Italian coach added.
Napoli arrives in Granada without being able to count on the Colombian goal David Ospina, the Greek Kostas Manolas, the Senegalese Kalidou Koulibaly, the Albanian Elseid Hysaj, the Algerian Faouzi Ghoulam, in defense, the German Diego Demme, in the center of the field, nor with the Mexican Hirving Lozano, the Belgian Dries Mertens and Andrea Petagna, in front.
The Italian coach also denied that Granada’s lack of experience in European competitions, as Diego Martínez’s men are in their first experience, could be decisive.
“I don’t think it’s a matter of experience. We face a tough team with clear characteristics. For them it’s a great event, we know we will have to fight. Granada is not easy to face, we have seen how they face good teams technically, “he explained.
“It is necessary to provide character, but also technique. It is an atypical Spanish team, they know what they have to do, they move fast and you have to respect them, I would not talk about experience,” he continued.