2024-09-02 14:31:10
Napoli boss Rafael Benitez admitted his side were afraid to take risks to beat Arsenal 3-0, which would have put the Italians through to the next round regardless of the result of the Marseille-Borussia tie. As a result, “Napoli” beat “Arsenal” with a score of 2:0, but “Borussia” captured the goal of “Marseille” at the end of the game and won with a score of 2:1. “Arsenal” and “Borussia” entered the next round, and “Napoli” moved to the Europa League.
“We should have scored earlier, but we knew that the score in Marseille was 1:1. We were afraid to take risks because Arsenal could punish us for it. The team did everything and deserved to enter the playoffs, but this is football,” said Benitez. “We did well in the group stage of the Champions League, because we earned 12 points. We also occupy a high position in the “A” series. This is a success for the full team.
In the process, we need to bring in young players who will be here for many years and become part of the long-term plan. Today we proved that with 2-3 additions we can compete in the “A” series and perform at a new level in the Champions League.
The Europa League playoffs will start in February, so now we will only think about Serie A.”