Ivan Juric said Monza produced an “excellent” first-half display before defensive mistakes allowed Napoli to claim a 4-1 victory at the U-Power Stadium.
Monza had appeared to be turning a corner after winning their previous two home matches against Sassuolo and Cagliari. They responded to Rasmus Hojlund’s opener when Gustavo Varela met Jay Robinson’s cross with a glancing header to make it 1-1.
But their resistance disappeared after half-time. Matteo Politano, Rafa Marin and Kevin De Bruyne all took advantage of errors in the Monza defence as Napoli scored three times to secure a convincing win.
“The first half performance was excellent and perhaps we deserved even more than being at 1-1,” Juric told Sky Sport Italia.
“We had also started the second half quite well, but then started to gift goals. Sometimes we forget to do the practical things, but the first half remains very good.
“It is a result that hurts, but I did see many things we can work on and improve.”
The defeat ended Monza’s recent progress at home, although Juric highlighted the quality of their opening 45 minutes. His side had matched Napoli after Hojlund ended his goal drought, only to be punished repeatedly for failing to deal with straightforward defensive situations.
Varela remains the standout emerging player in Monza’s Serie A campaign. The Portuguese striker has scored eight goals in eight league appearances, as well as twice in his only Coppa Italia match.
His form has already led to reports that several Premier League clubs could make a move for him in January. Any potential transfer would represent a significant profit for Monza, who paid €2.5m to sign him from Benfica in July.
Juric believes the 20-year-old has considerable room to develop and urged him to maintain his attitude as interest grows.
“He’s a talented player and has real margin for improvement. He is working every day to get stronger, and I hope he continues like this, stays humble, and then he will certainly go far,” added Juric.
