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<\/figure>\n\n\n\nWhat sort of impact have you had on the dressing room so far?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019ve felt that this team is fully committed. We haven\u2019t done much talking as what we need at the moment is actions rather than words.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe have little time so we have to speed up the learning process. I\u2019ve told the players there are no excuses and we need to be loyal to ourselves.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Stadio Maradona will have a key role to play tomorrow.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe Napoli fans are wonderful, but rather than asking them to help us, we need to be the ones captivating them and making them proud.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n How is Victor Osimhen?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOsimhen has been in full training and we\u2019ll assess him in the final training session.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n What do you fear about Barcelona?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThey\u2019re a side with top players and a brilliant coach, but we\u2019re Napoli and we can\u2019t fear anyone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019ve watched Barcelona at various points and we\u2019re in for a very tough game, but our mentality is that we want to win every match.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n What did it mean to you to work with two top coaches like Maurizio Sarri and Luciano Spalletti?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019ve worked alongside three great coaches, including [Eusebio] Di Francesco as well, as I hold him in such high regard. They\u2019ve all taught me fundamental concepts and I\u2019ve since added my own. They\u2019ve all been crucial to my development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSarri and Spalletti have enhanced my career. They\u2019re different coaches with huge personalities. I\u2019ve learnt so much from them and am so grateful for that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n How are you feeling at the moment?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOf course, I\u2019m so pleased to be here. When I got on the motorway, I could feel the adrenaline running through me. It\u2019s fascinating to be involved in such an important match straight away.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Have you got an idea of what hasn\u2019t been working at Napoli in the last few months?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNapoli are a strong side. Some of the connections need to be fine-tuned, but this is still a strong side. I\u2019m excited about it and am full of confidence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI think it\u2019s more about self-belief than tactics. I can only stress that there\u2019s a quality squad here and they showed that by winning the league at a cantor and having a wonderful season last year.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n What has Aurelio De Laurentiis asked of you?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe president hasn\u2019t put any pressure on me. He\u2019s been very calm and kind. He told me to believe in the goals that we\u2019ve set and the main one now is trying to get into the top four in the league to qualify for the Champions League.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Would you take a draw tomorrow?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNo, absolutely not. I would never accept a draw before a match. We\u2019re Napoli and we want to play to win. If Barcelona do a good job of stopping us, we\u2019ll respect the outcome on the pitch, but I repeat, we are a strong team and we need to have that winning mentality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cTomorrow I\u2019d like the team to follow my instructions and the things that I\u2019ve asked of them in the last few hours. That would give me a big confidence boost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Do you feel you can give this team an identity over the next three months?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIf that doesn\u2019t happen, it will mean I\u2019ve failed. I couldn\u2019t bear the thought of my team not having an identity. I told the lads to have clear heads and get the enjoyment back as well. If we do that, we\u2019ll be able to find our rhythm.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Francesco Calzona spoke to the media in the pre-match press conference on the eve of Napoli\u2019s Champions League last-16 first leg meeting with Barcelona at the Stadio Maradona. \u201cWe\u2019re starting over as of today,\u201d explained the new boss. \u201cWe\u2019re resetting everything and beginning a new path. I\u2019m here to give this team an identity.\u201d What […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":341005,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[100],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/cdn.sscnapoli.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/CS9_0401-1024x683.jpg\")
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