Luciano Spalletti has called on his side to up the speed and quality of their ball circulation when they come up against Lazio at the Stadio Olimpico on Saturday.
The boss was speaking in the wake of Napoli's goalless draw with Lecce in midweek and stressed the importance of his squad helping the new additions to settle in quickly.
What do you need to do differently compared to the game against Lecce?
"We need to spot the passing lines more quickly, move the ball about with fewer touches and more quality. We need to look for space and run into it with belief and determination.”
How do you explain Kvicha Kvaratskhelia's dip in form after his first two outstanding performances?
"Kvara has come in from another country and he needs a bit of time to adjust to Italian football. It's just a bedding-in phase but he'll be fine.”
How are the new signings looking fitness-wise?
"They're looking good because they're starting to get to know the rest of the squad and understand the sort of football we want to play. They're all settling in slowly and in training I can see that we're building moves faster and more confidently. We must be strong, compact and constant to win the ball high up the pitch.”
You know all about Maurizio Sarri's brand of football. How are you going to counter it tomorrow?
"I've played against Sarri several times and the quality of football his teams play is always clear to see. They play with a strict 4-3-3. Ours is more versatile and needs to be able to adapt to the match. I believe players need to be able to adapt to in-game situations rather than to a specific tactic.
“Lazio apply a constant press and when they do it well they can overpower you and dominate the space. We have to be very clever at slipping in between the lines and playing quickly. A lot will depend on how we adapt to the different moments of the game.”
Are you pleased with the club's transfer business?
“I'm happy with our transfer business and I'm delighted to be the coach of this team. I have extremely high expectations and huge ambition – to the point that they my targets might even seem unobtainable. I can't make any promises but I will give everything because I believe in this team. The idea that some people have that 'you win or you fail' is not something I share because I have clear targets in mind and I work towards them calmly.”
What did you think of Giacomo Raspadori and Tanguy Ndombele after their full debut on Wednesday?
"Raspadori is a versatile striker who's very good at flitting into space. He likes having the ball played to feet and he's good at getting away from his man. He's a beefy player who can perform in various positions up front because he reads the game so well.
"Ndombele is a strong, well-rounded player. He needs to adapt to our football and to do that he needs to play. He's the sort of player who hears the ball even when he's facing the other way and can thread the ball through to a team-mate even when facing the other way. We must raise our game so that he can settle in quickly.”
What sort of response are you looking for tomorrow after the draw with Lecce?
“I expect a big response. We're playing a team who have just as much quality as we do so we're going to have to show we can match and better them.”
“I'm sure that my team, although young, will quickly take shape and play fierce, top-quality football. We must all feel the responsibility of wearing the Napoli shirt and of carrying our fans' ambitions.
“I have a group of excellent players who are technically very good and who want to prove themselves. We're going to have lots of games back to back so we'll have to be careful about the choices we make. It's impossible to field the same team every game. We need to stock up for the winter – and to do that we need everyone's help.”
