Gennaro Gattuso was pleased with Lazio’s courage against Napoli.
“I am satisfied with the way we came here to play. We showed great courage in going after our opponents and accepting the space in behind, and praised their collective commitment. In the first half we had a lot of counter-attacks, and they struggled to get back, regularly finding themselves with four or five players ahead of the ball.
“Napoli were good in the second half. They are frightening, with great physical strength and intensity. It is normal to suffer against a team like this. What pleases me most is that we did not disappear from the match; we held firm together.”
Frattesi scored in the 28th minute before Pedraza’s own goal three minutes after half-time. Gattuso praised Nuno Tavares and confirmed Josip Sutalo’s hamstring injury.
“Nuno deserves congratulations. He had only trained for two days and could have chosen not to play, but he gritted his teeth. We should thank him. Sutalo felt a pull in his hamstring and will not go away with his national team. We have to see the extent of the injury.”
Massimiliano Allegri believed his players had given everything.
“Losing today would have been painful after a performance like that, especially mentally with a break coming. The players did everything they could. I have nothing to reproach them for. Unfortunately, we did not manage to win.
“We were a little more organised. In the first half, we struggled to deal with Tavares and Noslin on the left. After the first 30 minutes, the team was already doing better. We could have been less frantic, but we also had important opportunities.”
Allegri urged supporters to back the team.
“These players need support. We hope to find the right calm again soon. Today we laid one brick towards bringing everyone together. We are not out of anything; there are many matches left and we can achieve our objectives.”
The Napoli coach also defended his forwards, insisting difficult spells do not erase their ability.
“Lucca was good before and he is good now. This is a difficult moment, but in 20 days or a month he will do well again and score goals. The same goes for Hojlund. There are no wanderers here, so I defend my players.”