Speaking to Sky Italia after his Sassuolo side’s impressive win in Naples, Roberto De Zerbi explained that he had insisted to his players that the win was for the taking before the game, despite several absences.
The manager also praised new signing Maxime Lopez, who impressed against the Azzurri alongside Manuel Locatelli and capped off a good performance with a goal in stoppage time.
“In the last few days, when I was telling the team that we were still just as strong, even with the injuries, I looked at them and it seemed as if they didn’t believe me. I stopped them and told them that I’m not full of hot air, and that when I speak I’m convinced of the things I talk about, just as I was convinced we would beat Napoli. Hopefully this is the umpteenth time they’ve proven their quality to themselves.”
“You never know what’s needed to win, but if we have to lose, at least we can choose how to do it and I would rather do so while trying to play.”
“I picked Maxime Lopez because he’s a good player. He knows how to play and he’s just come from 100 games played for Marseille, in a stadium like the Vélodrome with lots of pressure. I thought he paired well with Locatelli.”
