Maurizio Sarri fully expected Napoli to sweep Lazio aside 3-0, as the two games against Juventus “gave us more confidence and fired us up.”
The Partenopei had two disappointing results in the last eight days, held 1-1 by Juventus in Serie A and then going out in the Coppa Italia semi-final to the same side, 3-2 on the night and 4-5 on aggregate.
Maurizio Sarri fully expected Napoli to sweep Lazio aside 3-0, as the two games against Juventus “gave us more confidence and fired us up.”
The Partenopei had two disappointing results in the last eight days, held 1-1 by Juventus in Serie A and then going out in the Coppa Italia semi-final to the same side, 3-2 on the night and 4-5 on aggregate.
They ended it on a high, conquering the Stadio Olimpico 3-0 and therefore opening up a seven-point gap in third place.
“We went out of the Coppa Italia, but the fact we put Juve under so much pressure and indeed beat them 3-2 actually fired us up and gave us more confidence,” the Coach told Mediaset Premium.
“Therefore I was convinced the lads would put in a strong performance. My only doubts were physical, as two games in four days against Juventus can take a lot out of you, but instead the lads responded well.
“I don’t think the 10 minutes of pressure were a physical matter. At times we feel so comfortable in possession that we relax, lose concentration and against a side like Lazio that is a terrible mistake. We’ve got to stop doing that.
“Tonight was an important stepping stone, now we go to the end of the campaign and try to get as many points as possible.”
He wasn’t on target, but Marek Hamsik did provide the assist for Jose Callejon’s opener and was again impressive in midfield.
“Marek is such a lovely lad that at times he limits himself. We absolutely cannot do without him, so we try to substitute him in the final 15 minutes, because otherwise it’s tough for me to think of starting a game without Marek.”
Lorenzo Insigne bagged a brace this evening and it is now his most prolific ever campaign in Serie A.
“I hope all these lads will remain with us and the others can really come in properly, because we couldn’t use Arek Milik for long periods due to injury. When he gets back to full fitness, he can do great things here.
“Leonardo Pavoletti has also not been able to show what he can do yet at Napoli, because his priority was to play regularly in order to regain fitness, while our priority was to get points. Next season they’ll hopefully both be back to their best.
“Other than that, we’ve got several players born in the late 1990s and that means they can mature to become so much stronger.”
Napoli have the same number of points as at this stage last season, even after losing Gonzalo Higuain and with the added strain of Champions League football.
“There are teams who have something more than us in some areas, so in theory they are the ones who ought to be winning. We started this process knowing we weren’t the richest club in Italy, so we tried to focus on youth and giving a precise identity to our team, hoping to build something over time.
“I hope the mentality of the side will grow too. The next step we need to take is undoubtedly to concede fewer goals.”