Kalidou Koulibaly says Napoli are regaining their ‘confidence’ under Gennaro Gattuso after reaching the Coppa Italia Final. ‘I want to repay’ the team and fans.
This was the first game back since the lockdown and the Partenopei held Inter to a 1-1 draw, allowing them to qualify 2-1 on aggregate, so they’ll face Juventus in the Final on June 17.
“We weren’t expecting the Inter goal to come that early, but we reacted well and soaked up pressure to deserve our place in the Final,” the defender told RAI Sport.
“Gattuso has given us a real confidence boost, as we had lost faith in ourselves a little bit and he reminded us that we are great players. We had struggled when under pressure, but we know how to suffer now and fight our way through difficulties.
“There is another game coming up with the Final in a few days, so we’ll work hard to be ready.”
Koulibaly has barely featured this season due to injury, as he had just returned when the pandemic ground football to a halt in March.
Gattuso replaced fired Carlo Ancelotti in December, but Koulibaly tore a muscle just days into the new tactician’s reign.
“Many things are changing at Napoli, but above all they are returning to the way they were. We are all aware that we can do more and this Final is a one-off match, so anything can happen.
“I hadn’t started a match for six months, so I am very happy to be back playing with my teammates. They and all the fans gave me so much support during this difficult time and I want to repay them for that.”
This was the first game back since the lockdown and the Partenopei held Inter to a 1-1 draw, allowing them to qualify 2-1 on aggregate, so they’ll face Juventus in the Final on June 17.
“We weren’t expecting the Inter goal to come that early, but we reacted well and soaked up pressure to deserve our place in the Final,” the defender told RAI Sport.
“Gattuso has given us a real confidence boost, as we had lost faith in ourselves a little bit and he reminded us that we are great players. We had struggled when under pressure, but we know how to suffer now and fight our way through difficulties.
“There is another game coming up with the Final in a few days, so we’ll work hard to be ready.”
Koulibaly has barely featured this season due to injury, as he had just returned when the pandemic ground football to a halt in March.
Gattuso replaced fired Carlo Ancelotti in December, but Koulibaly tore a muscle just days into the new tactician’s reign.
“Many things are changing at Napoli, but above all they are returning to the way they were. We are all aware that we can do more and this Final is a one-off match, so anything can happen.
“I hadn’t started a match for six months, so I am very happy to be back playing with my teammates. They and all the fans gave me so much support during this difficult time and I want to repay them for that.”
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