Napoli respond to Monza fightback as Landucci hails 4-1 win

Rasmus Højlund opened the scoring in the 10th minute before Gustavo Varela headed Monza level just before half-time. Matteo Politano restored Napoli’s lead three minutes after the restart, and Rafa Marín’s 62nd-minute header gave the visitors breathing room before substitute Kevin De Bruyne completed the scoring five minutes later.

Landucci, speaking after the match in place of Massimiliano Allegri, was pleased to secure three points in a fixture Napoli had considered important.

“We knew it would be a difficult match, which is why we made few changes. We were aware that tonight’s game was decisive for us. The lads started well. We could have done better in the first half, while in the second half we made a mistake and conceded a goal. We are still happy to have won this match. As I told the players, we knew it would be a complicated challenge,” he said.

Napoli had been criticised for winning matches by narrow margins, but Landucci felt the response to their latest victory needed to be put into perspective.

“We will analyse these things ourselves, but I would look above all at the positives, because we scored four goals. Before, people criticised us because we only won games by small margins. Now we win 4-3 and it still isn’t good enough. I think we should be a little more objective in our criticism and our judgements of the team.”

The scoreline was 4-1 rather than 4-3, but Landucci’s broader point was that Napoli’s performances needed to be assessed in context. He also highlighted the effect of injuries on the squad, particularly Scott McTominay’s recent absence.

“This team has also had problems. Some players were injured while on international duty. Scott McTominay, for example, was missing for a month, and we know how important he is to us. He is a great player.

“We lost him for a month, but to recover his condition completely takes another month. It isn’t as though, after being out for so long and unable to do anything, he can immediately return to his best. His condition is improving now.”

Landucci said Napoli could still find it difficult against opponents with strong midfields, but pointed to recent European and domestic performances as evidence of their ability to compete. He insisted the squad needed to keep its focus on the next fixture rather than look too far ahead.

“We beat Bodø/Glimt, a team that, I think, beat Inter last year. Last week we won at home against Borussia in a very difficult match. Getting that Champions League victory was decisive for us. Against Roma we played a great game and, in my opinion, deserved to win. Roma are a very strong team and it will be a good battle.

“But we have to think one match at a time and try to win every game.”

Landucci also praised Noa Lang’s willingness to track back and perform defensive work, saying the winger had done so against Roma and again at Monza.

“When the opposition attack, you also have to defend. He did it very well last Saturday against Roma and again tonight. He still needs to improve a little, especially in front of goal. He must try to be more incisive and score a few more goals. But, like all the others, he had a good game.”

The win gave Napoli a lift after two league matches without victory, though Landucci made clear that the performance would still be reviewed for areas needing improvement.