Napoli manager Luciano Spalletti reacted strongly to praise from Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola because he doesn’t want his side “loaded with too much responsibility”.
That’s according to former Napoli star Alessandro Renica, who has shared his opinion on the Legends Show, relayed by Calcio Napoli 24.
Napoli have been one of the best sides in Europe this season, dominating Serie A but also impressing in the Champions League.
This week saw them draw against fellow Italians AC Milan in the quarter-final draw, a tie they are expected to progress from and into the semi-finals of the competition.
Their performances have seen them earning plenty of praise, including from Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola, who claimed that they had arguably been the best side in Europe alongside Arsenal.
Those comments evoked a furious reaction from Napoli boss Luciano Spalletti, who accused the Manchester City boss of playing games and dismissed his positive comments.
His response was an eyebrow raising one, to say the least, but Renica believes there was a reason for it.
“Napoli has a thousand solutions, it offers a truly spectacular game,” Calcio Napoli 24 report him saying.
“Guardiola’s compliments? Spalletti took it because in my opinion he doesn’t want the team to be loaded with too much responsibility.
“Giving this load of responsibility to Napoli who are reaching the quarter-finals for the first time perhaps seemed a bit too much, Spalletti tried to keep the team relieved of this kind of pressure.”
