(ANSA) – ROME, OCT 5 – Napoli coach Luciano Spalletti hailed his side’s mental attitude after they thrashed Ajax 6-1 in Amsterdam on Tuesday to maintain their perfect record in Champions League Group A.
Giacomo Raspadori scored twice and Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Piotr Zielinksi, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Giovanni Simeone were also on target as the Naples side handed the Dutch giants their biggest ever home defeat in European competition.
“If the whole squad doesn’t work hard, you can’t turn in performances like this,” Spalletti said.
“You don’t play as 11 players but as an entire squad.
“If the players understand that there’s room for everyone and collective results are what count rather than individual ones, we’ll be able to replicate this kind of display in the future.
“Such results are down to the players’ commitment, hard work on a daily basis and buying into an intense training regime.
“When they apply themselves in this way, they can showcase all their technical abilities. We always have to go after a collective target, while also boosting our individual attributes.” Napoli, who are joint top of Serie A alongside Atalanta, have nine points from three games in Group A, three points more than second-placed Liverpool.
Inter, meanwhile, beat Barcelona 1-0 at home to ease the pressure on coach Simone Inzaghi after a string of disappointing results, including Saturday’s 2-1 home defeat to AS Roma.
A first-half strike by Hasan Calhanoglu puts Inter second in Group C with six points, three behind leaders Bayern Munich and three more than third-placed Barca. (ANSA).
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © Copyright ANSA
.