Gennaro Gattuso wants Napoli to “rediscover enthusiasm” both on and off the field, but also to follow Inter’s path of “playing as a collective.”
It kicks off on Monday at 19.45 GMT, click here for a match preview.
“We need a great performance, as we are up against a very strong team, one of the most physical in the league,” said the coach in his press conference.
Gennaro Gattuso wants Napoli to “rediscover enthusiasm” both on and off the field, but also to follow Inter’s path of “playing as a collective.”
It kicks off on Monday at 19.45 GMT, click here for a match preview.
“We need a great performance, as we are up against a very strong team, one of the most physical in the league,” said the coach in his press conference.
“If we play the way we did against Sassuolo in the first half, which was embarrassing, then we are in serious trouble. We’ve got to build on the final 25 minutes of that game.”
Napoli ended their two-month Serie A drought with a stoppage-time 2-1 victory away to Sassuolo, fighting back from a goal down to turn it around late on.
“We must improve the way we are set out on the field, how to suffer under pressure, but I am seeing the right enthusiasm and the lads are giving me their all.
“We must respect this Inter, as they have a strong mentality and great players. We mustn’t get into a panic or think of the worst-case scenario. We’ve got to give the sensation we are always in it and ready to resist.
“You can tell the influence of Antonio Conte, as they fight for every ball and have quality too. It was different last season, so seeing them play as a collective is all credit to Conte. That’s what I want for Napoli, to play as an organised unit.”
Kalidou Koulibaly is injured, with Fabian Ruiz suffering from flu symptoms and Dries Mertens has flown back to Belgium after suffering from a muscular issue, which only intensified reports of his imminent exit.
“Mertens hasn’t touched a football for three days, so we decided to sent him to see his specialist and get a better look at what’s happening there,” insisted Gattuso.
“Fabian Ruiz did not perform well against Sassuolo, but he’s had flu and hasn’t trained regularly. If he were to play tomorrow, he’d have my faith, as do all the players. Koulibaly wanted to play, but it’s not right to risk losing him for a long time.
“Lorenzo Insigne is penalised right now by the fact that he is Neapolitan, so he feels bad results more than anyone else and is the first to get criticised. He just has to focus on training and improving his form.
“We must focus on the group, not the individual, because that is what gives you a future. It takes time to make changes, so we’ll be able to evaluate better in two-three weeks.”
Gattuso only just took over last month from Carlo Ancelotti, but Napoli are 18 points off joint leaders Inter and Juventus.
“It’s an unthinkable gap considering how the last few seasons went. Napoli have a lot of quality and nobody expected this to happen, but now we can’t look at the table, instead focusing on one game at a time.
“My objective is to get the enthusiasm back at Napoli. I have played at the San Paolo and want to see that passionate atmosphere again, whereas recently it has been a little frosty. The more fiery the atmosphere, the more difficult it becomes for opponents coming here.”