As he was interviewed by Mediaset Premium after the game Walter Mazzarri began by talking about the good performance of Mateo Kovacic: “I want players to be functional to the team’s way of playing, this also happens in Bayern, in Barca and in Real. Look at Robben and Ribery for example, players who know how to play both phases. Kovacic is a young guy, he has quality and he can run, he is growing and is doing well. Before, he was shooting less and now he has improved. Time will do him well, he can become a complete champion. Icardi angry after the substitution? He’s not angry, I had to make a choice between him and Palacio. He is calm, we’ve even met in the locker room. There was no controversy.”
Returning to the result: “I’m never satisfied with draws. During the first half we could have taken the lead, in the second half they controlled the game because of our lack of strength. Several of our players were asking for substitutions. They allowed themselves to keep Hamsik and Pandev on the bench, this speaks volumes about the quality of Napoli. We had given so much and we were in an emergency, in the second half we paid. It was a predictable decline. I can’t wait to finish this year which for me has been trying, since I’ve spent so much energy. I think it has been the most difficult one, and it’s the one which has given me the most to do in my twelve-year career, but also the most fascinating. Dzeko, Morata and Torres? I don’t know them, I’m the coach.”
Source: fcinternews.it