Gattuso emotional at facing Milan, angry with own players

Napoli coach Gennaro Gattuso said that facing his former club AC Milan for the first time made it an emotional night.

Gennaro Gattuso was unhappy with Napoli's display against AC Milan.

Napoli coach Gennaro Gattuso said that facing his former club AC Milan for the first time made it an emotional night, while he was angry with his own players for not taking more of their chances in the 2-2 Serie A draw on Sunday.

“The emotions were strong, it's the first time I have faced a team that made me a man and an important player,” said Gattuso, who spent most of his playing career at Milan and also coached it for one-and-a-half seasons.

“I have to get angry with my players, because when we create so much, we have to stick it in the net and instead we struggle. It seems we need six or seven chances to score.”

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“It's not just a problem for the forwards but also the others. We create, we get to the final 20 metres easily and then we keep getting it wrong. We have to improve.”

Milan coach Stefano Pioli defended his goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma who was at fault for both Napoli goals.

“He's doing exceptionally well and I'm absolutely satisfied with his performances,” he said.

Pioli, whose side thumped leader Juventus 4-2 on Wednesday, added that it was not easy playing twice a week, especially with high summer temperatures and after the three-month COVID-19 stoppage.

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“It's difficult for everyone,” he said. “We came from a fantastic game and in the end we held our own well, especially in the second half.

“It's a shame we conceded the second goal when we were leading the game. I didn't see too many difficulties for my team, we were just imprecise in some choices”.