Maurizio Sarri is concerned by Torino and the temperature tomorrow, but joked about a lifetime Napoli appointment. “They had the guts to hire me.”
It kicks off on Sunday at 14.00 UK time (13.00 GMT), click here for a match preview.
“This is going to be a very important game, as Torino are strong at home and achieved extraordinary results,” said the Coach in his Press conference.
Maurizio Sarri is concerned by Torino and the temperature tomorrow, but joked about a lifetime Napoli appointment. “They had the guts to hire me.”
It kicks off on Sunday at 14.00 UK time (13.00 GMT), click here for a match preview.
“This is going to be a very important game, as Torino are strong at home and achieved extraordinary results,” said the Coach in his Press conference.
“It’s a complicated game, just like Roma have a tough one against Juventus. It’s just disappointing we are not able to play simultaneously, even if it doesn’t change much for us.
“Do I hope Gonzalo Higuain scores tomorrow? He did wonderful things with us and is having another great season. The important thing is that he did well when he was with us.
“The Champions League brings in some notable funds and the reality is that these enormous advantages are why clubs have very little time for the Europa League or Coppa Italia. Either you requalify the financial aspect or privilege Serie A – you can’t pretend the issue isn’t there.
“We’ve got the guts to go straight into the Champions League, but it doesn’t just depend on us. We have to rely on Roma’s results too. Italians have tended to struggle in the preliminary rounds, so we hope to avoid them.”
This week Napoli President Aurelio De Laurentiis said Sarri should stay for life in a role similar to Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United.
“When talking about this, it’s hard to have clear ideas. Being at Napoli is an enormous satisfaction for me. After the seasons with Empoli people spoke highly of me, but only De Laurentiis had the guts to actually hire me.
“If I have to think of the next five years, that’s hard for me to do. I didn’t get rich with football so far in my career, so on my next contract I want to get rich!” he laughed.
“For two years I didn’t pick up a wage, but to complain now would be an insult to those who get the train to commute at 6am.”
Sarri was asked if he’d go to the Premier League, naturally after winning the Scudetto with Napoli.
“There are too many ifs and buts in that scenario, but it would be nice to do after winning something in Italy. That would be the best course of events, but it’s all very much up in the air, so let’s focus on the job at hand.
“Torino are dangerous and can do damage on the counter-attack, while Adem Ljajic has always played between the lines, even when he started from a wide position. Andrea Belotti is extraordinary in the box and when running on to through balls. We’ve little margin for error.
“We need the result and cannot lose sight of our passing game. It’ll be very warm tomorrow too, so moving the ball around quickly will be important. I hope it won’t affect the teams too much, because on the pitch it could well be 37 degrees. If you want entertainment, all the games in the summer should be evening kick-offs.”