Juan Jesus opened up about the issues plaguing Napoli this term and spoke about the team’s mentality ahead of their Champions League clash with Braga.
The Partenopei fell in disappointing fashion on Friday last week, suffering a 1-0 loss to Juventus at the Allianz Stadium. It was the team’s third defeat in a row across all competitions, deflating their energy following the recent appointment of Walter Mazzarri.
Napoli are only a step away from securing a spot in the Champions League knockout stages, sitting three points ahead of third place Braga. A positive result against the Portuguese outfit is enough to see Mazzarri’s side progress.
Speaking in a press conference via TMW, Juan Jesus first discussed Napoli’s mindset after their three-game loss run.
“Tomorrow we’re playing for a lot, going through to the next round, we’ve made it to the last three, always improving regardless of the results, demonstrating that we’re returning to what we were. Three months ago, we were Italian champions, but today no one can play…
“But little by little we are also regaining confidence on a mental level. These are difficult moments, the guys are young, I’m the older one, we already played a good game against Juve. We’re missing victories, we’re missing goals to give peace of mind.”
He spoke about what the Partenopei are missing to return to winning ways.
“We miss scoring goals, we miss winning, sometimes we are a little less focused than last year, but with the tranquillity and the work we are doing, it will come back because we are creating opportunities, and we are giving important signals.
“We need the right serenity, winning at home gives you confidence, in us but also in the fans.”
The 32-year-old spoke about what’s changed since Mazzarri’s arrival last month.
“I’ve known him for a long time, the energy he’s giving us, the awareness that we’re not finished players, we have to rediscover the serenity and qualities that each of us has inside.
“We sort things out on the pitch, in our own way because everyone has their own ideas, but you can already see there is an important change and we must continue like this, not just for 50 minutes but also for 80 minutes as we did against Juventus, where we wasted two important chances and Juve had one.”
Juan Jesus also discussed the changes at Napoli since their Scudetto success six months ago.
“Many things have changed, for us, for the club, for the fans, when you win after 33 years the expectations grow. Subconsciously you think you have won and that’s fine, but we have always worked, not because there was Garcia before, we go on the pitch, and we have to respond.
“We need to put even more belief, trust, this is football, when you lose everything turns negative, but we have to be calm, the bad moments will pass.”
Finally, Juan Jesus spoke about his expectations of Braga and their overall qualities.
“They’re a good team, very organised, regardless of the result we want to play well, putting our all on the pitch, it’s a decisive match and we’ll face it with this spirit.”