Arrigo Sacchi admits he has no idea why Napoli believe they can win Serie A. “It’s not like they bought Maradona or Careca this summer…”
In a surprising and unprovoked attack on Napoli’s title chances, Sacchi claimed the Partenopei did not have the “history” to classify themselves as contenders for the Scudetto or “top players” that the likes of Juventus had in their ranks.
Arrigo Sacchi admits he has no idea why Napoli believe they can win Serie A. “It’s not like they bought Maradona or Careca this summer…”
In a surprising and unprovoked attack on Napoli’s title chances, Sacchi claimed the Partenopei did not have the “history” to classify themselves as contenders for the Scudetto or “top players” that the likes of Juventus had in their ranks.
“Napoli can fight for the Scudetto, but they’re not among the favourites and they must only focus on playing without anxiety. The favourites are Juventus,” the legendary Coach told Il Mattino.
“It’s also because the teams that spend €40-50m on a single player are better than Napoli.
“The Azzurri are wrong to talk about the League. What history do they have to say such a thing?
“I don’t think there are players at Napoli with the pedigree of winning things domestically or abroad.
“It’s better if they proceed with caution. They don’t have to play with the anxiety of needing to win.
“They can’t think that if a trophy doesn’t follow, it’ll be a failure, but their players must still give their best, with the same availability and enthusiasm that they’ve shown in recent times.
“Putting pressure on yourself is an unforgivable mistake. Performances aren’t enough, Juventus know how to handle moments of difficulty.
“As soon as Napoli lose even a millimetre in their game or concentration, they don’t know what to do. That’s because they have no top players like Juventus do, for example.
“Sarri is extraordinary, but it’s not like they bought Maradona or Careca this summer, and that’s why I don’t understand where this hype has come from.
“If there are good players in this team, it’s because they’ve borne the fruits of hard work, good football, enthusiasm, passion and emotional participation.
“I’m not saying that Napoli can’t win the League, I’m saying it can’t be an objective for them.
“I can’t imagine Cagliari, Sampdoria or Verona, who also managed to win the title, ever started out with the idea of having to win at all costs.
“I don’t share all this joy coming out of Naples. It takes just a little bit to dismantle everything and for someone to lose humility or modesty so that the castle falls down.”