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Napoli boss Rafael Benitez says his squad rotation was not to blame for the 1-0 defeat to Udinese, a result which leaves the Azzurri already six points behind league leaders Juventus and Roma. Having named his first-choice team for Thursday's 3-1 Europa League win over Sparta Prague, the Spaniard made changes on Sunday. Marek Hamsik, Dries Mertens and Jose Callejon were all left on the bench with David Lopez making his debut and Michu also starting. Benitez nevertheless believes his team should have been strong enough to beat the Zebrette. "We should have won this game with the side we have," Benitez said in Il Corriere dello Sport. "If we weren't able to do so, then it's because we made a mistake. It's true we didn't create much, but we had the game under control and we should have won it. "Before picking my team, we analysed the state of the squad in terms of tactics and it was a well-pondered choice. For 70 minutes, we played to control and to win the game. I'm sorry about the way we conceded because it wasn't even a difficult ball to deal with." For the second game running, Napoli lost 1-0 t a side they were expected to beat. Last time it was at home to Chievo. "Everybody has got to understand that if we want to win, we've got to give 100 percent in every single game," lamented the Spanish coach. "But we are working hard on being successful." Benitez may have thought long and hard about which 11 players to send into action, but when Udinese coach Andrea Stramaccioni saw their team sheet, he admitted to having been pleasantly surprised. "Nobody is better-placed than Benitez to know his players, but I really didn't expect their starting team," he told Sky Sport Italia. "When their other players came on, though, their technical quality increased. "But Napoli are a very strong side no matter who plays for them."
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