Juric saw positive Monza performance ‘until we started to gift Napoli goals’
ITALY - OCTOBER 28: Ivan Juric head coach of AC Monza gestures during the Serie A match between AC Monza and SSC Napoli at U-Power Stadium on October 28, 2026 in Italy. (Photo by Pier Marco Tacca/Getty Images)
Ivan Juric insists Monza had an ‘excellent first half, but then started gifting goals’ in a 4-1 defeat to Napoli. ‘Gustavo Varela will certainly go far.’
They had seemingly turned a corner and certainly made the most of home advantage, winning their last two games at the U-Power Stadium against Sassuolo and Cagliari.
When Rasmus Hojlund opened the scoring to break his goal drought, Gustavo Varela’s glancing header on a Jay Robinson cross had drawn Monza level.
However, they crumbled after the restart, with Matteo Politano, Rafa Marin and Kevin De Bruyne all pouncing on defensive errors to round out a 4-1 Napoli result.
Juric sees Monza positives
“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.”
Varela is the true breakout star of this Serie A season for Monza, as the Portuguese striker has scored a whopping eight goals in eight Serie A appearances, plus two in his only Coppa Italia match.
It is already prompting reports of a January swoop from some Premier League clubs, no doubt at a tidy profit considering Monza paid just €2.5m to buy him from Benfica in July.
“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.
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