Rafa Benitez says Napoli’s poor start to the season can partly be put down to bad luck, as he says everything is alright with the President.

The Partenopei have lost two of their opening three Serie A fixtures, as well as being knocked out of the Champions League by Athletic Bilbao.

Their Coach though, insists that his side have in part been the victims of bad luck, pointing to a number of stats that he believes shows this.

Rafa Benitez says Napoli’s poor start to the season can partly be put down to bad luck, as he says everything is alright with the President.

The Partenopei have lost two of their opening three Serie A fixtures, as well as being knocked out of the Champions League by Athletic Bilbao.

Their Coach though, insists that his side have in part been the victims of bad luck, pointing to a number of stats that he believes shows this.

“In terms of shots, I think we are the team which has had the most since the season started,” Benitez has commented in today’s conference ahead of facing Palermo.

“You can analyse a game by the feeling of the game, the results, or by the numbers. The team that shoots the most in Serie A is Napoli, as well as the team which has the most possession in the opposition half.

“The results aren’t what we expected, but I think we can have a good season.”

Benitez was not singularly focussed on statistics though and, alongside defending his rotation policy, asserted that his side deserved to win in both the Serie A games in which they were defeated.

“Numbers don’t tell you everything. We lost two games which we deserved to win. In the Chievo game if Higuain scores [his penalty] we’re talking about a game that ends 4-0.

“Same with the Udinese game when Gargano hit the post. I’m angry about the games we lost because I’m 100 per cent convinced we deserved more.”

Reports this morning suggested that Napoli President Aurelio De Laurentiis may not renew the contract of his Coach, with Roberto Mancini tipped to come in next summer.

“I spoke to the President yesterday, and we are all confident that the team will have a good season”, Benitez declared.

“At Valencia there were doubts about me, then I won the Championship and was there for three seasons. The key is to have a squad with the right mindset.

“If we win one game it changes everything, and if we don’t win we have to see how we can do better. I have confidence in this team, we have to believe we can finish near the top.”

Byrob

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Tickets Kit Collector