Napoli's Dries Mertens insisted that there is little gap between his team and Arsenal after the Gunners triumphed 1-0 in Naples to progress to the semi-final of the Europa League.
Alexandre Lacazaette scored the goal for the visitors as they built decisively on the 2-0 victory they racked up at the Emirates a week ago.
Napoli dropped into the tournament after being eliminated during the group stage of the Champions League in December and were one of the favourites to lift the trophy.
But Carlo Ancelotti's team came up short on the night, failing to overturn the first leg's two-goal deficit and watching Arsenal breeze into the last four - and Mertens believes his side's conquerers aren't worth the hype.
“The first 10-15 minutes, we had a few chances to score and that would’ve changed everything,” the Belgian told Sky Sport Italia .
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“We conceded a goal and our heads dropped. We said in the locker room that we still believed, because Arsenal aren’t that good. There isn’t a real gap between us. We got it very wrong at the Emirates and that ruined everything.
“We weren’t well set out, Arsenal took advantage and we tried everything to make up for it, but they defended well.”
Mertens was quizzed on what his side were lacking this season on their European outings, and suggested that greater support from their home fans might have made a positive difference.
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“I don’t know what we are lacking," he said. "We have to realise we are normal players, we’re doing well and the fans mustn’t criticise us. We are second, we went out of the Champions League by one goal. Let’s get our feet on the ground and look forward.”
Napoli look set to finish second in Serie A and return for another stab at the Champions League next term.
