Maurizio Sarri insists Napoli “cannot feel pressure because we are going beyond anyone’s expectations” at the top of the Serie A table.
The Partenopei earned a 2-0 victory away to Benevento this evening thanks to Dries Mertens and Marek Hamsik goals, but there was also a scare as the Belgian limped off with a sprained left ankle.
Maurizio Sarri insists Napoli “cannot feel pressure because we are going beyond anyone’s expectations” at the top of the Serie A table.
The Partenopei earned a 2-0 victory away to Benevento this evening thanks to Dries Mertens and Marek Hamsik goals, but there was also a scare as the Belgian limped off with a sprained left ankle.
“Benevento are alive and kicking, especially at home, and this was a tougher test than the table might suggest. It was not easy, they revamped the team over the last few weeks and were therefore difficult to predict,” the Coach told Mediaset Premium.
“We predicted Benevento would play 4-3-3 and use different men, so the choices were a little surprising. We ran some risks and rested on our laurels in a few situations today, which should not have happened.”
A win was needed to stay top after Juventus crushed Sassuolo 7-0 this afternoon.
“I didn’t watch Juventus today, nor any other game, so I have no idea what form they are in. It’s not exactly a surprise that Juventus are a strong side.
“At the moment, Serie A is quite similar to the Bundesliga, where there’s a club that is clearly stronger than the others. We’ve done well to keep the title race open, whereas in Germany that hasn’t happened.
“The surprising thing is that Napoli are up there, not Juventus. This team picked up 60 points in 23 games, an extraordinary tally. Juve are going at more or less the same pace, but they are accustomed to it.
“We cannot feel pressure, because we are going beyond anyone’s expectations. Don’t forget, pre-season you all said it was a fight between Juventus and Milan. We are doing better than I expected, than the club expected, so there is zero pressure.”
There was also a scare late on this evening when Mertens limped off after a crunching tackle from behind on his left ankle.
“We’ll evaluate Mertens tomorrow. He had a knock and a slight sprain, it doesn’t seem particularly serious.”
Sarri was asked about reports President Aurelio De Laurentiis will offer a new contract on Thursday.
“I can’t meet anyone on Friday, as we have a game on Saturday. I want to focus on other issues right now, so someone will meet with the President over the next few days and listen to the proposal on my behalf. There’s no problem between Aurelio and I, so it’s not an issue.”