Napoli coach Maurizio Sarri says Juan Camilo Zuniga should be pointing the finger at himself rather than his club for his lack of opportunities this season.
Zuniga gave an interview in his home country on Wednesday criticising Napoli for not letting him play since April. He said he was in top shape and could not understand why he was not being given a chance.
Sarri responded after leaving Zuniga out of his squad once again for Wednesday night's 2-0 win over Palermo, saying that the 29-year-old only needs to look at himself for the reasons why he is not playing.
"If he wants to leave [in January], it will be his decision and not because the club have told him something," Sarri told Mediaset. "He's a player like any other I have, but the data I have from training shows a huge difference between him and the others. They are all in better shape than he is."
Sarri is keen to avoid any negative disturbances to a side who are in a "positive moment" of form right now, with seven wins in a row between Serie A and Europa League.
The anger Lorenzo Insigne showed when he was substituted on Wednesday night will not harm the atmosphere either, with Sarri insisting that is just what he wants to see from his players.
"If only everybody would be so angry when they come off the field," Sarri said. "The angrier they are, the better it is for us. It's anything but a controversy when a player is annoyed to be substituted. Now it is up to him to explain himself to the rest of the teammates because he didn't show respect for them, but for me the angrier he is when being subbed, the better."
Napoli travel to Genoa on Sunday looking for a sixth straight Serie A win and to extend their unbeaten league form to 10 matches.