As Napoli get ready to host Verona on Saturday, coach Luciano Spalletti called on the fans to get right behind the players, with the match taking on double significance given their title pursuit and crucial Champions League fixture just a few days after. “We must all come together in our love for Napoli.”
First up in the press conference, Spalletti gave a welcome update on Victor Osimhen’s fitness.
“Osimhen is doing well and after an appointment with his doctors, he’ll be in the squad for tomorrow’s match. The aim is for him to be in the best possible shape for Tuesday, so he’ll be on the bench for us tomorrow.”
Will you make lots of changes tomorrow?
“First of all, whoever ends up playing, they’ll have to approach it knowing that they’re playing a key role in one of the big games of the season. We will certainly make some changes. It won’t be the whole team, but we’ll rotate some players because some of them need to recover physically and mentally from Wednesday’s match at San Siro. Kim Minjae will start the match because he can’t be involved on Tuesday.
“At San Siro, I saw maturity from my team. I saw important developments in their mentality. We were composed and looked dangerous with ten men against a team with a great history and record at this level.
“I felt they went after the game in a sensible way despite the fact that it had taken something from us. I’ll say it again, I saw maturity from the lads.
“I just want to appeal to the fans to say that right now, the only thing we should be doing is remaining united and together, guided by our love for Napoli. I think it’s incomprehensible to deny this team the support they need after the extraordinary season they’ve had.
“The fans are a crucial factor for us. It’s been 33 years since we won the Scudetto and now that we are just a whisker away, there seems to be some disagreement. Now’s the time for us to lose ourselves in our love for Napoli, all of us together.”
How will you manage not to think about the Champions League tomorrow?
“I think that tomorrow’s game is doubly important because if we win, it takes us one step closer to the Scudetto. We need to think about and look forward to all the great things we have ahead of us. If we beat Verona, we’ll go into Tuesday’s match feeling better.
“When I came to Napoli, the game against Verona was one of the lowest points in the club’s recent history. Tomorrow, on the other hand, could be one of the highlights.”
What dangers could tomorrow’s game bring?
“Verona are a well-coached side. They’ve got desire and ideas, press you hard physically and know how to battle for the full 90 minutes. They will be motivated by their position in the table and what a win would mean for them. If you want, I could give you lots of reasons there are dangers in this match, but we are really motivated to overcome them.”
What kind of energy and attitude are you expecting from your team in the return leg against Milan?
“I know my team well and I’m sure that they will put in a great performance. If we play at our highest level, anything can happen.
“The lads need to put in the kind of performance that we’ve become accustomed to this season. If they do that, anything is possible. We are calm and confident that we can do that.”
