Maurizio Sarri felt Napoli “fully deserved” a 4-2 victory over nine-man Milan, but sniped at the referee and advised Manolo Gabbiadini.
The Partenopei were leading 2-0 through an Arkadiusz Milik brace, allowed the Rossoneri back in for 2-2 before Jose Callejon and a bizarre final goal.
Maurizio Sarri felt Napoli “fully deserved” a 4-2 victory over nine-man Milan, but sniped at the referee and advised Manolo Gabbiadini.
The Partenopei were leading 2-0 through an Arkadiusz Milik brace, allowed the Rossoneri back in for 2-2 before Jose Callejon and a bizarre final goal.
“The fourth goal has to be given to Callejon, because the ball didn’t completely cross the line. In any case, the result reflects the performances, as other than five minutes of chaos, we dominated the game,” Sarri told Mediaset Premium and Sky Sport Italia.
“Milan’s Man of the Match was the goalkeeper, Gianluigi Donnarumma. There was also some tension, as on the first goal there was an evident foul on Jorginho and that made us lose our cool, but fortunately we recovered.”
Above all it was Sarri who lost his cool on that incident, as he was sent off for dissent – something that has become a regular occurrence.
“I only said ‘What the devil are you doing?’ There was no menacing tone, no insult. It’s probably easier to send me off than someone else, easier to dismiss a Coach wearing a tracksuit than a double-breasted jacket.”
Milik was given his first start and bagged a brace, while Dries Mertens could’ve had a hat-trick if not for Donnarumma and the woodwork.
“Milik really impressed me, as a lad and as a player. He’s still settling in and trying to learn the language, but he’s a sharp guy who picks things up quickly anyway.
“Is he the new Gonzalo Higuain? No, it would be unfair to compare a world class striker to a 22-year-old who is just starting his journey. I am sure he’ll have a great career.
“As for Mertens, right now he’s in great shape and so I preferred to start with him, but there’s no specific hierarchy. He deserved to play tonight, we await Lorenzo Insigne to push his way back into the line-up.”
With Milik making such a splash, are Napoli ready to sell Gabbiadini?
“It’s Manolo who must decide what to do. I would advise him to stay with us, but only if he is truly convinced. If he’s not, then it’s best he take another path.”