The bitterness is still there, but Elijf Elmas's words express above all a desire to bounce back. After Napoli's elimination in the Coppa Italia quarterfinals against Como, which came on penalties, the Italian midfielder is trying to turn the disappointment into energy for the championship. "It's tough to lose like this on penalties, because we know it's a lottery. We wanted to move forward, but it's understandable. Now we have to lift our heads and immediately think about the next match," he explained.
The Macedonian, however, looks beyond the final draw and returns to the ninety minutes, where he believes there was room to change the course of the evening. "We could have done something more. But they were good too. We played a game of intensity, of the highest level. There were moments when we could have closed it out, but today luck was on their side," he said, emphasizing how the team still exited to Maradona's applause. "They always support us, and that makes us even more disappointed to be eliminated from the Coppa Italia, because we give everything for this shirt and for these fans."
Elmas then looks at the locker room, amidst new faces and important returns. Speaking of the latest arrivals, he has no doubts: "They're two really good guys, excellent people. They'll definitely give us a hand. We all need to work together to be more united and help the new players settle in." This message applies to the entire group, which is called upon to regain solidity and continuity.
The recovery of some starters is also important, as Elmas believes they could transform the team. "The returns of Rrahmani, Politano, and Lukaku are very important signs. We hope the others return soon, because De Bruyne, Gilmour, McTominay, and the others are very important to us." These names demonstrate the depth of the squad and the impact injuries have had recently.
Finally, a word about Vergara, a young player on the rise who is carving out a place for himself. "He's doing great, he's strong, but he still has to improve. He needs to play like this in his next matches, too. For now, just lots of compliments, and let's hope he reaches the levels of Hamsik and Insigne." A weighty comparison, one that sounds like an investiture but also a motivation. For Napoli, now, the time for words is almost over: they need to turn their anger at elimination into crucial points, starting in their next match.
Source EDITORIAL TEAM
Comments (1)
The match was very intense, but I think there were some obvious mistakes during the game. Elmas is right when he says that luck wasn't on our side, but we also needed to do more to win.