Benitez calls Bodø/Glimt a near-decisive night and points to De Bruyne

The former Napoli coach says the Champions League is where the Belgian can drag the team out of its slump, and names Højlund and Lobotka alongside him.

by Gennaro SanninoTuesday 20 October, 11:02 CET· 2 hours ago

Rafael Benítez — Foto: Дмитрий Журавель · CC BY-SA 3.0

Rafa Benitez did not dress up the Champions League tie with Bodø/Glimt on Tuesday 20 October: "It is a near-decisive night and nobody will shy away from it." The former Napoli head coach was speaking on the eve of the match at the Maradona, which kicks off at 21:00 CET (20:00 UK, 15:00 ET) in the third round of the league phase. Napoli are still on zero points after the defeat to Arsenal and the 3-1 loss at Villarreal.

On the 1-0 defeat at Venezia, Benitez offered a reading we only partly share. "I have seen the footage, the many attempts, the penalty saved by Stankovic, the clearances off the line. Anyone who wants to see the glass as half full can start from there. Then it is true that there are probably problems, but Allegri has already dealt with that." The 29 shots to 9 and 12 corners to 0 at the Penzo are real, but the scoreline says 1-0 Venezia, Adams scoring in the 49th minute, and that was a fifth defeat in nine competitive games. From here, the half-full glass does not weigh much.

The most interesting part was the names. "The Champions League is De Bruyne's territory, to pick the most authoritative name. He has the personality to help himself and his team-mates come out of this. Then there are Højlund's goals and Lobotka's control of the midfield." Three pointers that map exactly onto the problems of the moment: De Bruyne missed a penalty in the 68th minute at Venezia, Højlund has not scored since 5 September, and Lobotka started on the bench in that game.

Conosco Napoli, so cosa voglia dire avere al proprio fianco la gente: ognuno farà la propria parte, nelle difficoltà che comporterà la partita.

Benitez closed with the city: "I know Napoli, I know what it means to have the people beside you. Everyone will do their part in the difficulties the match will bring." The Maradona will not be full on Tuesday night, but the first European points of the season have to come from there, and from whichever of Benitez's three names decides to take the game on.