Time to reflect.
I am not mad at the loss but upset at the manner it came. We are by far the best team in the league but for a long period of time we have not shown it and not cared to show it. Today totally displayed what we have been doing since December, we got out smarted, out played and out muscled. Napoli got the better of us in every aspect of the game, in every department and on every inch on the field. We did not cause a single threat on their goal and up to the 20th minute we could have been 4 goals down where it not for Buffon and some luck. Just as we started to get in the match we conceded and there were no signs that we are able to get over that handicap.
I know this team and I know of its potential but this season we have on more than multiple occasions refused to show our potential. The excuses were plenty, in the beginning it was new forwards, later on it was conserving energy and now we are blaming fatigue. Napoli have played the exact same amount of league matches as we did, they have played the exact same amount of CL matches as we did (against a much harder group), they have even played MORE Coppa Italia matches and still we were the tired team and they were the resting team.
Our approach is said to be paralyse opponents, in the first 12 minutes Napoli had 5 corners, Buffon had two miraculous saves and Callejon's goal was luckily ruled out for offside. Where did we paralyse Napoli? Actually they did more than just paralyse us. Enough excuses, the team has to live up to its potential and its Conte's job to do so. I was told that in March we start blazing, March is over, what will we do in April?
Buffon 7
Caceres 6
Bonucci 5.5
Chiellini 5.5
Lichtsteiner 4.5
Vidal 4.5
Pirlo 5.5
Pogba 3.5
Asamoah 4.5
Llorente 3
Osvaldo 3
Vucinic 6
Marchisio 4.5
Isla 4