Spalletti speaks to misconceptions regarding Guardiola spat

Napoli manager Luciano Spalletti comes in peace. After talks of spats between he and Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola, Spalletti wants to set the record straight and be on good terms.

What happened between Guardiola and Spalletti?

As Napoli has become one of the top contenders to make it to the final of the Champions League, Guardiola made some comments about the team, calling them one of the best in Europe. A compliment, yes. But Spalletti did not respond positively.

Instead, Spalletti said Guardiola was playing games to “build us up so they can knock us down”. That led Guardiola to hestitate before speaking about the Serie A team again. When he was asked about them on Monday, Guardiola said he didn’t want to talk about it because “the manager will be grumpy with me”, adding that they are “so sensitive in Italy”.

Spalletti has now said that he indeed did see Guardiola’s comments as compliments and that he has learned a lot from him as a coach.

“Guardiola, Klopp and De Zerbi are among the football managers I always look at,” said Spalletti. “So if my expression was misunderstood by Guardiola, I’m sorry because I’m truly happy when a manager like him says good words about Napoli.”

He also added that he hopes they can laugh about this one day over Turkish coffee.