Politano says Napoli keep repeating the same mistakes before Porto

The vice-captain spoke on the eve of the Champions League game at the Estádio do Dragão, covering the injury crisis, attitude and the table.

by Gennaro SanninoTuesday 3 November, 18:23 CET· 3 hours ago

Politano con la maglia del SSC Napoli — Foto: deviantart.com

Matteo Politano says Napoli need to string results together. "We need continuity in our results. We keep falling back into the same mistakes we've made," the vice-captain said ahead of Porto-Napoli at the Estádio do Dragão on Wednesday 4 November, kick-off 21:00 CET (20:00 UK, 15:00 ET). He began by offering condolences for Jesus de Miguel: "What happened to Jesus de Miguel was a tragedy. We are sorry and deeply saddened."

Napoli have no recognised full-back available. Di Lorenzo, Olivera, Spinazzola and Favasuli are all out. Politano kept his answer on the shortage brief: "We'll certainly get to eleven, and they'll have to be enough to win the game." For him, though, the real problem lies elsewhere: "You can put whoever you want on the bench, but if your attitude is wrong, winning games becomes hard."

After the second half at the Allianz Stadium, where Napoli had one shot on target and Juventus had 18 shots, that matters more than any injury list. Politano did not leave himself out: "Napoli can't be in this position in Serie A, and in this state in the Champions League." As of Tuesday 3 November, Napoli are eighth in the league and 22nd in the Champions League, with 3 points from three games. Porto have lost all three of theirs. Wednesday's game will show whether his words have got through to the dressing room.