Maurizio Sarri felt Napoli “can not only challenge Juventus, but beat them, as the quality gap is closing” after a 3-2 victory failed to find a Coppa Italia Final spot.

The Partenopei won 3-2 on the night, but went out 5-4 on aggregate in the Coppa Italia semi-final, as Gonzalo Higuain’s brace and the 3-1 first leg result proved crucial.

Maurizio Sarri felt Napoli “can not only challenge Juventus, but beat them, as the quality gap is closing” after a 3-2 victory failed to find a Coppa Italia Final spot.

The Partenopei won 3-2 on the night, but went out 5-4 on aggregate in the Coppa Italia semi-final, as Gonzalo Higuain’s brace and the 3-1 first leg result proved crucial.

“It was a great performance, we scored three goals against a side that usually concedes very few, but we were unable to overturn the first leg result,” Sarri told Rai Sport.

“There are some regrets, as at the end those 20 seconds in Turin where we could’ve gone 2-2 and instead went 3-1 down really made the difference. They made a big impact on the tie overall, naturally luck makes a difference in these situations.”

These sides also met in Serie A on Sunday, playing out a 1-1 draw at the Stadio San Paolo.

“The good thing about these two games is that we are slowly closing the quality gap on Juventus.”

Napoli President Aurelio De Laurentiis said after the game that he was proud of Napoli’s style of football compared to the “Catenaccio” tactics of Juve.

“Having made life difficult for Juventus in two games is something to be proud of. Over these two games, the sensation is not just that we can challenge them, but we can think about beating them in a one-off match.

“The team that has won the Scudetto for six years running went through, so they are certainly a great team, but over these head-to-head matches I don’t think we played any worse than Juve.”

Gonzalo Higuain bagged a brace at the Stadio San Paolo and seemed to point at President De Laurentiis in the stands during his celebration.

“It was the Higuain I saw for around 30 games last season. He scored from distance, he’s a great striker and when he gets fired up, he is a player who can make the difference.

“Juventus overall seemed more determined than they were on Sunday. Presumably being dominated like that at the weekend pricked their pride and they decided to take a different approach.”

Everyone praises Napoli for their style of football, but what are they lacking to actually win silverware?

“We need to finish the growth process in terms of character, maturity, tactics and concentration. It’s a team that overall seems to have grown a great deal already. On Sunday we caused huge problems for Juventus, tonight we changed six or seven players and still caused them problems. That’s positive.

“We had several players born in the 1990s and that too is positive. I think that over the course of this season, the team to have made life the most difficult for Juventus was us.”

Sarri was asked about Lorenzo Insigne and his improving performances for both Napoli and Italy.

“The lad is now at the right age to mature as a person and a player. He’s a pure talent, I think the most talented right now in Italian football. For one reason or another he had some peaks and troughs last season, but for five or six months he has been remarkably consistent.

“He is destined to become great and I hope he can become a symbol who spends his career at Napoli.”

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Tickets Kit Collector