Maurizio Sarri warned Napoli “have a duty to believe” in second place and admits he “didn’t realise the potential of Dries Mertens” early enough.
Sampdoria-Napoli kicks off on Sunday at 17.00 UK time (16.00 GMT), click here for a match preview.
Even a victory at Marassi might not be enough, as if Roma beat Genoa, there’s no chance for the Azzurri to snatch that second automatic Champions League spot.
Maurizio Sarri warned Napoli “have a duty to believe” in second place and admits he “didn’t realise the potential of Dries Mertens” early enough.
Sampdoria-Napoli kicks off on Sunday at 17.00 UK time (16.00 GMT), click here for a match preview.
Even a victory at Marassi might not be enough, as if Roma beat Genoa, there’s no chance for the Azzurri to snatch that second automatic Champions League spot.
“It is our duty to believe, so we need to focus and get the points. Then we’ll look at the other result and there isn’t a great chance, but we’ve got to try,” said the Coach in his Press conference.
“We’re up against a side I really admire, with a strong Coach and a club that acted well on the market, signing players with real potential. They are very well-organised, so it won’t be easy.”
Napoli do have another target, namely to make Mertens their Capocannoniere, as he sits on 27 goals, one behind Edin Dzeko of Roma.
“The team must help itself first and foremost, the rest comes as a consequence. If we have a great performance, then Mertens will have more opportunities to score.
“It’s gratifying that our strikers have scored so many, but we just try to draw out the full potential within them. Gonzalo Higuain is world class, Dries is phenomenal and if he’s doing so well now, it’s just because we didn’t realise the potential early enough.
“After a few months in that role, Dries was already a born centre-forward. We all made mistakes, myself included, in thinking he was best at just coming off the bench.
“Our defence has improved recently, though it is our style of play that can lead to errors. I hope that the entire squad is becoming more competitive in every area.
“This is a test of our mentality, because we need to put in a strong performance in every situation. We’re in good shape and it’s rare to see a team doing so well at the end of May. It’s a bit of a shame the season has to end now, as with another four or five rounds…”
Sarri was asked whether the 14 penalties Roma received this term – a League high – made that one-point difference in the table.
“They had eight more penalties than us. Some made no difference, others brought points. Roma and Napoli are the teams who most move the ball in the opposition box, so it seems a little incomprehensible that there’s such a big difference in penalties. If we take it one incident at a time, it may well add up, but statistically it’s odd.”
Tomorrow Roma host Genoa and wave goodbye to living legend Francesco Totti.
“We are talking about one of the greatest pure talents in Europe. I’ve never seen someone like him who with his back to goal can send his teammate clear. He’s world class, you can only stand and applaud.”