Carlo Ancelotti Hits Out at 'Predictable and Slow' Napoli After Crashing Out of Coppa Italia

Napoli manager Carlo Ancelotti has admitted that he is very disappointed with his side’s 2-0 Coppa Italia defeat to Milan on Tuesday night. 

The Partenopei were eliminated at the quarter-final stage of the competition on Tuesday night, as Krzysztof Piatek scored twice in the first half at San Siro in his first start for the Rossoneri. 

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Ancelotti expressed his regret over the result, and speaking in his post-match press conference (quoted by Forza Italian Football) he said: “Tonight we lost concentration for the goals, then that calmness and those inspirational moments were missing.

“We are very disappointed, and we are out of a competition which we held in high regard, but the season still has a long way to go.”

Napoli were looking to lift the Coppa Italia trophy for the first time in five years to end Juventus’ unprecedented four-year dominance of the competition.

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However the wait goes on, as the Partenopei’s run in the tournament is over for another year. Ancelotti added: “Now, we have to recover from this blow and turn the disappointment into positive energy.”

Despite a strong team display Napoli were unable to get past Milan’s defence, though Ancelotti was critical of their performance. He said: “We are struggling a bit to find the right balls, we are slow at the back and in the last two games found a tight, compact Milan.

“At the moment, there isn’t much speed in our game, which must be improved, as we are predictable and slow.”

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The Coppa Italia exit at the hands of Milan follows on from Napoli's disappointing result in Serie A last Saturday, when they were held to a goalless draw by the same opponents in a frustrating game at San Siro.

The two games saw Napoli fail to score against Milan, a rare sight for a side with such attacking riches including the likes of Lorenzo Insigne and Arkadiusz Milik, who both played on Tuesday.

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However Ancelotti was adamant that his side will regain form very soon, saying: “I don’t agree that this is a team without any identity, we aren’t in a bad patch either, it’s just one game.”