Rafa Benitez says that as the current holders of the Coppa Italia, Napoli have a duty to honour their title, as they prepare for Udinese.
The Partenopei will be facing the Zebrette tomorrow evening in the Coppa Italia's round of 16, and the Coach took the opportunity to look ahead in the championship.
“It seems to me that the squad is doing well, we've seen all the physical feedback”, said the Spaniard to reporters.
“The second round of League fixtures is going to be positive, I see the team in a very good condition.
Rafa Benitez says that as the current holders of the Coppa Italia, Napoli have a duty to honour their title, as they prepare for Udinese.
The Partenopei will be facing the Zebrette tomorrow evening in the Coppa Italia's round of 16, and the Coach took the opportunity to look ahead in the championship.
“It seems to me that the squad is doing well, we've seen all the physical feedback”, said the Spaniard to reporters.
“The second round of League fixtures is going to be positive, I see the team in a very good condition.
“We are the champions of the Coppa Italia and we will have to honour it.
“As I explained before we'll have to make use of the full squad, giving chances to those who played less. We're going into the game with a drive to win.
“If [Manolo Gabbiadini] has no problems, tomorrow could be the right day for him to debut as a starter.
“Winning every game and the chance of winning a title is always positive. The Coppa Italia is important for us.
“But if there's an episode that doesn't seem right to another Coach, that's not for me to judge.”
Benitez was also asked about the possibility of restructuring the Coppa Italia.
“I saw the Cup competitions in Spain and it used to be a straight elimination game, then they split it into two games to give a chance to those who lost the first game.
“Those who hold the Cup must be given a chance to qualify for Europe.
“And there should be a chance draw to decide who plays home and away, so as to give an opportunity for smaller teams to win the Cup.
“As for [Duvan] Zapata, he can play tomorrow. Everyone has that chance. They all work very well, but I'll have to action a few changes because I'm forward-looking.
“If I always played the same names, it would be hard to keep everyone's concentration levels high.”
The Napoli boss was asked about last Sunday's 1-0 win against Lazio, and he praised his opponents for their effort.
“We've always played with the same formation. We must give credit to Lazio, they played an intense game and they did well.
“But we did well too, and we've been improving defensively ever since Florence.
“We weren't outstanding with our counters, else the end result would have been different.
“As for second place, never say never, but let's always think about the next game. I only think about the weekly three points.”