Maurizio Sarri refused to say Napoli believed they could win the Scudetto, warning “when we are dominant, we lose our sense of danger.”
The Partenopei remained top of the table with a 3-1 victory over Sassuolo, even if they were saved twice by the woodwork.
Their tactician was suffering from flu, so only spoke at the Press conference and not to television stations.
He did not react well when asked at the start whether he believed in the title.
Maurizio Sarri refused to say Napoli believed they could win the Scudetto, warning “when we are dominant, we lose our sense of danger.”
The Partenopei remained top of the table with a 3-1 victory over Sassuolo, even if they were saved twice by the woodwork.
Their tactician was suffering from flu, so only spoke at the Press conference and not to television stations.
He did not react well when asked at the start whether he believed in the title.
“The only thing we must believe in is Wednesday’s game against Manchester City. We know it’ll be very tough, but our minds must only go in that direction. The season has only just begun.
“The team is in good shape, we’ve got good sensations and the statistics are good too. We’ve got more quality and pace moving the ball around, but we’ll have to see how the team evolves.
“We have alternated three or four players in the last two games and are trying to save them some minutes on the pitch where possible.”
Dries Mertens said that Napoli ought to believe in the Scudetto, but Sarri hinted at his psychological tactics.
“You don’t know what I say in the locker room. When I reply to the media questions, I am not talking to you, but sending a signal to the team.”
Sassuolo had temporarily equalised with a Diego Falcinelli header.
“It’s the classic goal we conceded. When we dominate, we get lazy and it brings us to these situations. Against all logic, it looked as if we’d go into the break on 1-1.
“The total dominance makes us lose our sense of danger and that is an aspect that we’ve got to shake off. We did it against Genoa too.”
The top of the table is very tight, as Napoli and Inter are unbeaten, while Lazio and Juventus lost only once.
“I don’t think these sides will keep that kind of tempo up for the rest of the season, and that goes for us too. It looks as if the Scudetto will be won with over 90 points.”
Sarri refused to say that the Champions League is a hindrance or even an inconvenience to Napoli.
“It’s the most important club competition in the world, so being a part of it is something to be proud of. It’s also natural that in the minds of the players they focus more on the competition they’ve got a better chance at, but we must be eager to challenge ourselves against the best and right now Manchester City are the best side in the world.”