Napoli boss Luciano Spalletti has made a humble admission following his side’s defeat to Barcelona.
The Blaugrana made relatively easy work of Napoli on Thursday night, winning the second leg of their Europa League knockout playoff clash 4-2.
Goals from Jordi Alba, Frenkie de Jong, Gerard Pique and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang got the job done in Naples.
And the performance was the best barca have managed in Europe so far this season.
Napoli struggled to cope with the ferocity of the Barca’s counter-attack, and head coach Spalletti was left furious on the sidelines.
But after the game, he made a humble admission over Xavi and Barcelona.
“It has been a shame and I am the first to be responsible when the team doesn’t have the correct attitude,” he said in his post-match press conference.
“We can’t continue going out of the high press. Me made more mistakes than usual.
“I am not as good as Xavi, who won. I am realistic.
“My level as a coach doesn’t worsen because of tonight’s defeat, I congratulate him and we move forward.”
Barcelona’s progress means they remain in the hunt for their first Europa League title.
And they now know they face Galatasaray in the Round of 16 following the draw for the next round on Friday afternoon.
