Stellini urges Napoli to act as injury crisis deepens
Napoli assistant Cristian Stellini urged the club's hierarchy to bring in new players in the January transfer window after Amir Rrahmani and Matteo Politano's injuries.
Stellini's comments came after Napoli's 1-0 win over Sassuolo in Serie A, a game that was settled by Stanislav Lobotka's first league goal in 1,251 days.
But the win, which moved Antonio Conte's side to within six points of leader Inter Milan in the table, was overshadowed when both Rrahmani and Politano sustained separate issues.
Rrahmani was replaced in the 67th minute by Alessandro Buongiorno due to an apparent muscle issue, while Politano grabbed his hamstring but was forced to continue because Napoli had made all of their changes.
"Elmas felt dizzy, it was probably down to flu symptoms, so it wasn't an injury, but we'll have evaluations for Politano and Rrahmani in the next few days," Stellini said.
"We both feel happy at the victory, thanks to a team that continues to play in a difficult situation, but also we don't know how much longer we can keep this going.
"We don't have many players left, and the fixture list is packed. I think Napoli are the only team with nine games to be played in January.
"The fixture list was drawn up badly, it's not possible that with the Supercoppa Italiana, it was nine games in 28 days.
"We don't have many players, so we need to discuss this with the club, certainly. We probably need new players straight away."
It adds to an already extensive injury list at Napoli, with the likes of David Neres, Kevin De Bruyne, Frank Anguissa, Romelu Lukaku, Billy Gilmour and Alex Meret all unavailable.
Napoli also handed Antonio Vergara, a youth academy product, his first Serie A start the day after his 23rd birthday before he was replaced by Pasquale Mazzocchi.
But Stellini's cries for back-up come ahead of a busy period for Napoli, which has four fixtures across all competitions in 11 days to see out the first month of 2026.
It faces FC Copenhagen in its penultimate league phase clash in the UEFA Champions League, before returning to Serie A action against Juventus on 26 January (AEDT).
"We need more to bolster the numbers, otherwise we have to dip into the youth academy," Stellini added on the situation.
"We've got enough in defence, but in midfield and attack, we just aren't rotating at all.
"We're waiting for the return of David Neres soon, but we're not sure when the others will be back. We need players, the coach and the club will evaluate it.
"There is anxiety because there are so many matches. It's a matter purely of numbers, not of choices to be made. Something has to be done, it is planned.
"We know the January transfer window isn't easy to work in, but there are some interventions that have to be made."
