Davide Nicola explains how ‘Napoli made it easier’ for Venezia to stay focused in a dream debut victory, but he’s ‘a little tired of the narrative’ that he’s only chosen for desperate situations.
The coach could not have asked for a better debut just days after replacing sacked Giovanni Stroppa, who had lost all seven games between Serie A and the Coppa Italia.
He is a specialist at rescuing clubs who seem to be doomed after dismal starts to the season, and he takes over a side that won the Serie B title last term.
Nicola revitalised Venezia
“I am a little tired of that narrative. I want to give credit to the lads, who gave me a big hand, and it was not easy in the space of just two training sessions,” Nicola told DAZN Italia.
“We found a balance that allowed us to be competitive. Napoli actually made it easier for us, because they had so much quality that we had to be totally focused and keep the right shape at all times.
“We also defended well from set plays, and that was not easy, going from man-marking to zonal.”
There was the very strong risk that the Lagunari could make history as the first club ever to lose the opening seven Serie A rounds twice, having already done so in 1949/50, along with Legnano in 1951/52 and Benevento in 2017/18.
Instead, they took an unexpected victory against Max Allegri’s Napoli thanks to the Akor Adams goal, and Filip Stankovic parrying the Kevin De Bruyne penalty.
“We need to be realistic, considering how much Napoli created, we may well not have won this match. However, we needed that tactical organisation which allowed us to be more competitive,” added Nicola.
“When you concentrate more on some aspects, you risk losing sight of others. We could’ve made more of counter-attacking situations today. Adams made some mistakes, but he puts his soul into it and has astonishing margin for improvement.”