With a friendly draw against Espanyol (0-0) Napoli concludes the second phase of its pre-season, held in Castel di Sangro in Abruzzo.
A little more than a week before the start of the championship (the Azzurri will make their debut in Verona on August 15th), Spalletti has to deal with a transfer market that does not take off and forces him to hope at the last minute, before the start of the season competitive, in the arrival of a goalkeeper and two forwards.
The names that circulate are always those of Kepa, Raspadori and Simeone, but the difficulties in closing the negotiations are many and the coach has no certainty that the squad at his disposal will be enlarged.
Against the Spaniards Ruiz is absent and the coach initially sends Elmas into the field,
preferred to Zielinski to complete the midfield trio with Anguissa and Lobotka.
For the rest in the field there are the owners, with Meret in goal, Di Lorenzo, Rrahmani, Kim and Mario Rui in defense and with Lozano, Osimhen and Kvaratskhelia in attack.
Napoli's performance is extremely disappointing, in line with the previous ones shown in the friendlies played so far.
Very few dangerous actions created by Spalletti's team and the Espanyol goalkeeper almost never runs into danger.
The difficulties for the Azzurri are also aggravated by the attitude of the Spanish team.
Many fouls and also numerous squabbles that at the end of the first half also see president De Laurentiis as protagonist, present on the bench alongside Spalletti, who vigorously protests against the
referee after a repeated series of fouls suffered by the Azzurri players.
Even the whirlwind of exchange rates in the second half did not change the situation.
Napoli attacks with few ideas and Espanyol defends itself in a rough way, but without ever leaving too many spaces to the opponents.
Beyond the result and the possible justifications, however, the reality of a team remains that does not seem to have amortized the exits of Insigne, Mertens and Koulibaly.
Spalletti hopes in the transfer market to strengthen the squad and above all to give greater incisiveness to the team that from the frontline on him shows that he still has very evident limits.
but without ever leaving too many spaces to the opponents.
Beyond the result and the possible justifications, however, the reality of a team remains that does not seem to have amortized the exits of Insigne, Mertens and Koulibaly.
Spalletti hopes in the transfer market to strengthen the squad and above all to give greater incisiveness to the team that from the frontline on him shows that he still has very evident limits.
but without ever leaving too many spaces to the opponents.
Beyond the result and the possible justifications, however, the reality of a team remains that does not seem to have amortized the exits of Insigne, Mertens and Koulibaly.
Spalletti hopes in the transfer market to strengthen the squad and above all to give greater incisiveness to the team that from the frontline on him shows that he still has very evident limits.