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Maurizio Sarri Speaks Highly of 'Team's Development' Despite 4-2 Defeat Against Manchester City

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They may be dominating Serie A right now with nine wins and one draw from their first ten fixtures in the league, but against Premier League leaders Manchester City, they were outplayed in the second half to finish the match with a demoralising 4-2 defeat.

Nevertheless, when speaking to the club's official website, manager Maurizio Sarri could only speak in a positive manner about his side's performance, claiming the match was 'really balanced'.

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"The result was up for grabs and it could have been us that took the 3-2 lead, but we ended up conceding. It’s a shame because that could have changed everything," said the Napoli boss.

"I think this match will boost our conviction and confidence that we can compete with top teams. This is another step forward because we now know that we can dominate great sides like Manchester City."

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Following positive words from counterpart Pep Guardiola, who waxed lyrical about the Serie A leaders in Manchester and on Wednesday evening, following two tricky ties, Sarri remains optimistic that his team have improved from last year, praising his squads 'personality'.

"Generally speaking, the match was really balanced," added Sarri. "We stayed in the game right with a fantastic side right until the end.

"Manchester City showed all their quality but we were able to cause them problems for long spells and that is satisfying for us. I’m pleased with the team’s development. 

"In comparison with last year against Real Madrid, the lads showed more personality after we fell behind and that demonstrates that our maturity has improved."

Napoli will now turn their attention to an away day against Chievo, before a mouth watering clash with Italian giants AC Milan following the international break.