Sassuolo coach Alessio Dionisi has asked for the ‘same attitude’ against Napoli, as the Neroverdi arrive from a big win against Milan.
The Neroverdi have won two of their last five games – against Juventus and Milan – but had a run of three games without a win against Empoli, Udinese and Cagliari between the two victories.
Dionisi said he hopes to see the same approach from his players against Napoli at the Mapei Stadium on Wednesday.
“I would like to have the same attitude. We talked with the team yesterday, we spoke about attention, application and the defensive phase,” Dionisi said at a press conference. “Those were the things we underlined because they weren’t always there.
“We are aware of it. Tomorrow we will have to show that we have grown from this point of view.”
Gianluca Scamacca pulled Sassuolo level with a great goal at San Siro and Dionisi praised the striker.
“He’s a good player,” Dionisi said. “There’s a lot of talk about some players and the coach has to try to talk less about them.
“They are good lads, then there’s a lot of positives or negatives. They are lads who want to improve, and we have to support them. For me, this means to talk even less about them.”
The former Empoli coach admitted he looks forward to coming up against Napoli coach Luciano Spalletti on Wednesday.
“I can’t wait to meet him,” he said. “I have heard a lot about him, I appreciate and admire him for the results and the personality he has.
“Like him, I was lucky enough to work at Empoli and I’m from Tuscany. It will be a pleasure to shake his hand, then the players are the ones who play, fortunately.”
Napoli have lost Victor Osimhen to a facial injury for a long time and Dionisi was asked if he could see the changes made at the Azzurri in the Nigerian’s absence.
“I don’t have to explain Napoli, they have great players,” Dionisi said. “Without Osimhen, there’s [Dries] Mertens who has found continuity and is filling a role he had already starred in.
“They have different characteristics: Osimhen is a finisher and stretched the team. Mertens plays more, but they are two great players.”
Dionisi believes the big games suit Sassuolo’s playing style more, as the games are more open.
“For us, who want to play like this, it’s more beautiful and rewarding to play against teams who play openly,” he said. “All teams want to win, but there are those who do it ‘speculating’ and there are those who do it by trying to impose their own game.
“Not only the top teams, but all the teams don’t play the same game.”
Dionisi is not sure if Jeremie Boga will make it for the big game on Wednesday and stressed he will ‘not risk’ anything if the winger is not 100 per cent.
“Today, he will train and then we will evaluate,” the coach continued. “We will not risk him, yesterday he had practically recovered, but we reserve the right to evaluate in training today and tomorrow morning. Then we’ll see.”