Maurizio Sarri stood up for Gonzalo Higuain and thanked Napoli fans after their Europa League exit to Villarreal.
The first leg ended 1-0 with a late Denis Suarez free kick, while the second was 1-1 at the San Paolo, decided by a misplaced cross.
“People cannot expect Higuain to make the difference in every single game. He had 10 shots on goal in the last two games, at this moment he’s just not finding the net,” the Coach told Sky Sport Italia.
Maurizio Sarri stood up for Gonzalo Higuain and thanked Napoli fans after their Europa League exit to Villarreal.
The first leg ended 1-0 with a late Denis Suarez free kick, while the second was 1-1 at the San Paolo, decided by a misplaced cross.
“People cannot expect Higuain to make the difference in every single game. He had 10 shots on goal in the last two games, at this moment he’s just not finding the net,” the Coach told Sky Sport Italia.
“We are very happy with him, he has to continue working as usual without getting worried. Periods like this happen to even the greatest strikers in the world.
“He has to just not listen to anyone and find the goal in his own time.”
Napoli had been one of the favourites to win the Europa League, having reached the semi-final last season and had a 100 per cent record in the group stage.
“I have to thank the fans, because going out of the Europa League to applause is not something that often happens in Italy.
“I thank the lads, who gave everything. It’s one of those moments, we have to stay calm and continue to put in these good performances.
“If we do that, the results will arrive very soon. We are making some mistakes certainly, but we are also rather unlucky.
“It’s disappointing to go out of the Europa League, but looking on the only bright side we now have a whole week to dedicate to preparing for every Serie A game.
“We are not anxious or irritable. We might be a little more frenetic in our finishing. We dominated the game, there can be no regrets on that score.”