Napoli, Stanislav Lobotka explains what has changed after the break

Having arrived with more doubts than certainties at the November break, Napoli returned with two victories from the parenthesis dedicated to the national teams, first winning a convincing victory against Atalanta and then a victory in the Champions League against Qarabag, despite Hojlund’s missed penalty at 0-0. Talking about what has changed in the Azzurri’s house is Stanislav Lobotka, who at the microphones of Radio CRC explained the reasons for the return to victory, on the eve of the top challenge in the league at home to Roma.

“Of course it was not an easy time for us before the break – said the Slovakian – but we believe in ourselves, in the way we play and we work hard. I am happy of course with the last two wins and we are already focused on the next game. We are playing in a different way than we did at the beginning of the season. It is a different job, especially for the wings who have more freedom to express their qualities. Neres, Noa Lang and Hojlund are good in the one-on-one. This form is also good for the defenders: maybe we are more compact when we play with three, we are defending really well and I think we have to continue like this”.

The switch to a two-man midfield doesn&#8217t worry the 1994-born midfielder in perspective: “Honestly for me it doesn&#8220t change much, the tactics have changed because we have an extra defender behind us. But the game changes based on the team and each player&#8217s approach: giving 100 percent, how we fight each other and how we put the qualities we have on the field. Every game is different, every opponent is different: sometimes I try to press man on man, sometimes I try to create space for other teammates or I try to help them build. Everything I try to do on the field is for the team to win the game” specified again Lobotka, who arrived in Naples in January 2020 and established himself, over the years, to become one of the key men of two Scudetti, that of 2023 and that of 2025.