"Getting a win tonight was vital, to show that we were capable of bouncing back ahead of what's to come." Luciano Spalletti was beaming after his Napoli side triumphed 2-1 over Lecce.
"We showed the right attitude for what was a really tough match, a gruelling encounter. Our winning mentality was great, even when the game didn't go our way.
"I think any fatigue my players are suffering isn't down to our season, rather their exertions while on international duty. Transatlantic flights are energy-sapping. Even so we won today's game, a match we had to win. I think things will fall into place for the rest of the season.
"Lecce had gone five games unbeaten and we'd just lost to Milan. In football you sometimes go through the doldrums but you have to be able to dig deep when it matters. We've gained a lot of confidence from successfully navigating this tricky away match.
"It was a challenging match, one which required us to show the best of ourselves in order to get over the line. We succeeded in this regard - we were up to the task and that bodes well moving forward."
