Luciano Spalletti insists Roma’s 2-1 home defeat to Napoli cannot be put down to fatigue, though he regrets a poor first half performance.

A Dries Mertens brace had given the visitors the lead, but Kevin Strootman sparked a very late comeback, snuffed out by Pepe Reina’s last-gasp save to fingertip a deflected Diego Perotti shot on to the underside of the crossbar.

It was Roma’s first Serie A home defeat since November 2015, ending the club’s all-time record run.

Luciano Spalletti insists Roma’s 2-1 home defeat to Napoli cannot be put down to fatigue, though he regrets a poor first half performance.

A Dries Mertens brace had given the visitors the lead, but Kevin Strootman sparked a very late comeback, snuffed out by Pepe Reina’s last-gasp save to fingertip a deflected Diego Perotti shot on to the underside of the crossbar.

It was Roma’s first Serie A home defeat since November 2015, ending the club’s all-time record run.

“They were much better in the first half at moving the ball quickly, whereas we hardly ever managed to raise the tempo or get into the right positions. They also made us really suffer to win back the ball,” Spalletti told Mediaset Premium.

“You need the sharpness to make those two or three passes in a row to open up spaces and Napoli did it far better.

“We improved in the second half and it was a whole other game, although we were rather unlucky with the woodwork.

“I don’t think it’s right to talk about fatigue, as that makes the situation worse. You can talk about it, but don’t involve me, especially as towards the end the team had a completely different attitude, so they can’t have been tired.

“We could not have played like that in the final minutes if we were fatigued. On Wednesday we didn’t play that well, but we weren’t dominated by Lazio at all. We knew how they’d play and did not adjust accordingly.

“When we made it more one-against-one in the second half, we saw a team with a different spirit and fluidity. I decided to give more space to Stephan El Shaarawy and Diego Perotti, but the whole team didn’t step up at the right times, so they weren’t given the chance to make more of an impact.

“If you find the right through ball, it can make all the difference. Unfortunately, we tended to play it badly and were not calm, courageous or precise enough.”

Now Napoli are just two points behind Roma, whereas Juventus can go 10 points clear at the top if they beat Udinese.

“The Scudetto depends on what Juventus do tomorrow, but it’s very tough. It’s all very tough, as when you lose these head-to-head games, the enthusiasm and morale can turn. We are strong, so are Napoli, there’s a long way to go and we have to face problems with consistency.”

Spalletti also spoke to Sky Sport Italia and adjusted his position.

“We must be realistic. It was difficult before, now it’s almost impossible.”

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