Napoli have lost three in a row and face on form Lecce tomorrow, but Walter Mazzarri can “guarantee it won’t be a downward spiral to end the season.”
Napoli have lost three in a row and face on form Lecce tomorrow, but Walter Mazzarri can “guarantee it won’t be a downward spiral to end the season.”
The Partenopei have not won a Serie A match since their Champions League exit to Chelsea and are six points adrift of third place.
“We are not at top form, but by scraping the bottom of the barrel for every remaining drop of energy we have left, we can put in an important performance and return to being a solid squad,” said the Coach.
“The result comes from many different factors, but by doing things with dedication and focus, we can hope to bring those incidents our way.”
The fans staged a protest after the shock 3-1 home defeat to Atalanta, which followed on from losses to Lazio and Juventus.
“I have always guaranteed the effort that my players put on to the field. If I realised that any player held back, I’d immediately throw him out of the team. But these lads are simply going through a difficult moment and anyone who loves these club colours has to know that.
“This side deserves to be encouraged, because they give everything they’ve got. The negative results absolutely do not depend on a lack of hunger. I could rest Edinson Cavani against Lecce, or give him part of the game, as he was one of those who felt most tired and I cannot risk an injury.
“Whenever we achieve a new target at Napoli, people immediately want to raise the bar. Despite this negative streak, it has been an extremely positive year as far as I am concerned,” continued Mazzarri.
“The imperative for me and President Aurelio De Laurentiis is to let the players know in football they must take it one game at a time and not go too far beyond that. We’ve got to change course from the Lecce match, recovering that solidity and balance we had before.
“Our most important players are feeling the fatigue right now, but I hope there can be an improvement from Sunday. I can guarantee it won’t be a downward spiral to end the season.”