Napoli coach Antonio Conte took aim at management and individual players after their humbling by PSV Eindhoven last night.
The Azzurri were hammered 6-2 in Tuesday's Champions League clash in Eindhoven, which was their worst defeat in over 20 years.
Afterwards, a furious Conte snapped: “We won the ball back for the second goal, then we made two serious mistakes, and they counterattacked. When you concede the goals we did today, it's hard to explain.
"They can be individual errors, not necessarily team errors. Last year, we only played in the league, and we were good and fortunate to always have our regular players available, with consolidated mechanisms.
"This year, however, due to injuries, it's normal for us to lose some of that cohesion. Against Sporting, for example, we played with a completely new defense. Rrahmani has only made two appearances so far; last year he played single game. We need to introduce the new players and make them understand certain things as quickly as possible: it will take a bit of time and patience.”
Asked if this was just a blip, Conte refused to write off the setback.
He continued: “Every game, regardless, needs to be analyzed. If you write it off as just a bad night, you're preparing for another. The guys know that I always say what I think spontaneously.
"We need to rediscover last year's spirit, which allowed us—with very few players—to achieve something extraordinary. We all pushed the envelope, myself included. It's not easy—and it's also wrong—to bring in nine new players, but we had to do it. Bringing in nine fresh heads isn't easy. We need to be humble, I've been saying this for a while.
"Some people in Naples are blowing smoke, but that's a club you always have to the truth to. We've made and shared some decisions with the club, and I repeat: this year will be very complex. Tonight's match must give us a boost. The new players need to settle in quickly, and we all need to work hard."
Conte then turned to last season's Player of the Year, Scott McTominay, who struck on the night.
He said, “Personal glory doesn't interest me. Scott, like everyone else, needs to step up his game. I repeat: it's going to be a very difficult year, and I'm not holding back. We need to be good at managing a complicated season. Tonight isn't the first sign: we're already down four defeats. This sign hurts me, and I hope it hurts everyone else too. This must be a boost to get back to where we were.”
Conte also took aim at young striker Lorenzo Lucca.
He added, "Old and new alike need to step up their game. We all need to do it, regardless of the expulsion. If we want to grow and build something that makes Napoli proud, we need to return to last year's spirit, where only the good of the team was at stake. This must return: the good of the individual is of no use.
"What matters is the good of the group. For various reasons, so many situations arose that I even enjoyed observing, because they were so shameless... I repeat: Napoli and the Neapolitans must not be mocked."