Napoli coach Walter Mazzarri spoke after the goalless draw at Lazio and poured praise on his team. At first glance, it’s understandable because they’ve won a respectable point at Stadio Olimpico in Rome, but to those who’d seen the match – it all seems a bit over the top. After all, Napoli recorded no shots on target all night!Failing to test Lazio’s goalkeeper was only a minor thing for Mazzari. This match marked only the third occasion since their return to Serie A in the 2007/08 season that Napoli failed to produce a single shot on target. And yet, the experienced coach found many positives in the Italian capital.”I am very satisfied. We were up against a very strong team. Last year, Napoli won the Scudetto, but they finished second. Lazio have a strong squad. We had many absentees, but you can see a team with a capital T. Today, I had confirmation that I have great men at my disposal, so I’m happy. We are starting to see something that I like.” ##NAJAVA_MECA_7828935##Even though he’d been appointed as a caretaker boss, Mazzari is delighted to have forged an understanding with the squad. He won’t be in charge next season, and it’s probably the best. The amount of satisfaction he found in a goalless draw was pretty worrying.”I have the quality and flaw of speaking a lot with my players. You saw how Zielinski responded, and I would like to give a big compliment to Demme: today, he responded greatly, and it pleased me a lot. With honest guidance that tells them how things are, then they just have to respond on the field. They will have to do what everyone did today until the end of the season. We may be missing a few points, but if we continue to play as a team, I am sure we can climb up.”Lazio had a promising opportunity in the 75th minute when Castellanos attempted a close-range backheel shot, but the Napoli defence blocked it. It was the only noteworthy moment in terms of attacking football. Still, the home team’s head coach, Maurizio Sarri, was also happy with his team’s display.”We lack goals; it’s a problem we should solve. I’m convinced that when the mental mechanisms unlock, the players will feel lighter. Today we are happy with the performance, even though we hoped to win. It’s not two points lost.Watching this Lazio napoli match pic.twitter.com/bZZVlxGWRQ— IZLion🦁🇨🇲🇦🇴🇬🇳🇲🇷🇨🇩🇨🇻🇲🇦🇲🇱🇸🇳🇨🇮🦁 (@IZCheek) January 28, 2024 Let’s hope we don’t see these games too often – even if they make old coaches happy.SERIE A – MATCHDAY 22Friday Cagliari – Torino 1-2 (0-2)/Viola 77 – Zapata 23, Ricci 45+3/Saturday Atalanta – Udinese 2-0 (2-0)/Miranchuk 33, Scammacca 45+1/Juventus – Empoli 1-1 (0-0)/Vlahovic 50 – Baldanzi 70/AC Milan – Bologna 2-2 (0-1)/Loftus-Cheek 45, 83 – Zirkzee 29, Orsolini 90+2 pen/Sunday Genoa – Lecce 2-1 (0-1)/Retegui 70, Ekuban 76 – Krstovic 31/Monza – Sassuolo 1-0 (1-0)/Colpani 31/Verona – Frosinone 1-1 (1-0)/Suslov 45+3 pen – Kaio Jorge 58/Lazio – Napoli 0-0Fiorentina -Inter 0-1 (0-1)/Martinez 14/Monday 22.45: (5.90) Salernitana (3.70) Roma (1.70)***odds are subject to change
