As expected, Ezequiel Lavezzi is out of Napoli’s game with Novara, but Walter Mazzarri reveals why he still won’t play Edu Vargas.
As expected, Ezequiel Lavezzi is out of Napoli’s game with Novara, but Walter Mazzarri reveals why he still won’t play Edu Vargas.
Lavezzi has been training separately from his teammates for the past few days due to a thigh problem and has not been called up for Saturday’s match.
Goran Pandev is suspended, so the only available forwards are Edinson Cavani, Vargas and 21-year-old debutant Massimiliano Ammendola.
However, Coach Mazzarri made it clear that January signing Vargas is not going to start the game.
“Let me make an example, the difference between coaching Udinese” data-scaytid=”43″>Udinese and Napoli is based on this. In Udine Vargas would’ve played from the start with confidence and not run the risk of getting massacred in the media if he did badly,” said Mazzarri.
“It depends on where the bar is set and the objectives. At Napoli we have Lavezzi, Cavani, Marek Hamsik and Pandev, so if Vargas plays, then one of those has to be dropped.
“He will start next season with us and will become important. Right now, letting him play is something of an unknown quantity.
“When I did play him, criticism rained down on the boy and he suffers in those situations. This is why I say we need to help him, or he’ll lose his self-esteem. We must give him time.”
Napoli squad:De Sanctis, Colombo, Aronica, Britos, Campagnaro, Cannavaro, Fernandez, Fideleff, Dossena, Dzemaili, Gargano, Hamsik, Inler, Maggio, Zuniga, Cavani, Vargas, Ammendola