The grapes must be awfully sour in Rome today, given the interview from Lazio manager Stefano Pioli following their 1-0 loss to Napoli at home:
Lazio manager Stefano Pioli feels slighted by Napoli loss
Lazio’s manager is annoyed by Sunday’s result since he feels his side was the only one actually playing in the match.
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"We worked very hard and basically were the only team playing."
"Napoli made the most of one chance in the first half and from then on they were able to sit back and wait for a counter-attack. We created several chances and it’s a shame, because even with so many players missing we didn't deserve to lose today."
-Source: Sky Sport Italia via Football Italia
Pioli does have something of a point, in that Lazio dominated possession on the day, holding the ball for over 60 percent of the match as Napoli struggled to maintain any significant spells of possession. With two defensive-minded midfielders in their pivot and Marek Hamsik starting on the bench, playing a possession-oriented game was always going to be difficult, but the disparity in time on the ball was shocking at times.
Still, for all their ability to hold the ball, Lazio were incapable of doing anything meaningful with it. They managed just three shots on target, including the last kick of the match, and their best chance of the day was a header clanged off the post by Marco Parolo. Most of that possession just went side-to-side, with Napoli's defense cutting out anything with real potential to create danger.
Napoli, on the other hand, created danger almost every time they got forward, with Gonzalo Higuain serving as a one-man wrecking crew. The Argentine international was a constant threat every time he touched the ball, scoring an incredible goal for the game’s lone tally, and creating danger on several other occasions as well, including one shot that blazed just inches past the far post.
Maybe if Pioli wants to complain about how his opposition plays, he should make sure his own side actually plays better first.
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