Capello analyses Inter mistakes in 3-1 Napoli loss: ‘The penalty was non-existent’

Fabio Capello has had his say on Inter after their 3-1 defeat at the hands of reigning champions Napoli in Serie A on Saturday evening, and while he admits that Kevin De Bruyne’s penalty was ‘non-existent’, he feels that the Nerazzurri can only look at themselves. 

Napoli returned to the top of the Serie A standings thanks to their 3-1 win over Cristian Chivu’s side, courtesy of goals from De Bruyne, Scott McTominay and Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa. Hakan Calhanoglu’s second-half penalty was not enough for Inter to get back into it. 

Capello agrees with the Inter camp that De Bruyne’s penalty was ‘non-existent’, and that it impacted the rest of the game, but he also feels that Inter were ‘unrecognisable’ in their performance. 

“It’s true that it was a non-existent penalty that shifted the balance of the game, the one from which De Bruyne broke the deadlock. It is also true that this should not and cannot be an excuse for the Nerazzurri,” Capello explained in his La Gazzetta dello Sport column.

“Aside from Bastoni hitting the crossbar and Dumfries the post, Inter were unrecognisable. There was space in behind for Napoli to counter attack every time they lost the ball, and the thing that surprised me the most was the lack of balance between the different departments. That had been the strength that pushed Lautaro and his teammates to seven wins in a row across all competitions.”

Capello feels that Chivu’s decision to give his players an extra day off after their recent Champions League victory over Union Saint-Gilloise was a mistake that backfired. 

“Maybe the victory against Union Saint-Gilloise in the Champions League ended up affecting Inter too much, overconfidence in football can play tricks on you.

“In retrospect, it felt that the decision to give the players a day off between the trip to Brussels and the trip to Naples was an attempt to lighten the load within the group. The Inter coach is usually good at calming his players’ minds, and attempted a difficult move, but evidently, it wasn’t enough.”

And in terms of Inter’s play on the pitch, Capello said: “they often looked messy, and those who came off the bench, this time, took away more than they added. Instead of looking for speed, the changes off the bench tried to carry the ball too much. 

“Missteps are part of any season, and nothing has been fully compromised. Milan happened to slow down the other night against Pisa, too, Inter slipped during a Scudetto clash against the reigning champions. 

“The Nerazzurri have all the tools required to get back on their feet immediately, as long as they understand that they have to give more than what they showed on Saturday. Without that unity and purpose, they will not go far.”