Spalletti: ‘Milan cannot be more motivated than Napoli’

Luciano Spalletti insists ‘nobody can be more motivated’ than Napoli going into tomorrow’s Scudetto showdown with Milan. ‘We have the possibility to make our careers immortal.’

It kicks off on Sunday at 19.45 GMT at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.

These two teams went into the weekend as joint Serie A leaders, but Inter’s 5-0 win over Salernitana last night allowed them to leapfrog both.

“We’ll see who is in the best form during the game, I can only say we are in the best possible condition to play,” said Spalletti in his press conference.

“Stefano Pioli has built a fine team over the last couple of years, but nobody can be more motivated than us. We are all together creating something strong, and I include the fans too, who set the template for that Neapolitan identity.

“Hopefully we’ve got Maradona’s blessing too and it will be a great night.”

The coach was asked what he says to himself in the mirror when shaving in the morning, so he replied with a joke.

“I do my hair in the morning! The important thing a professional must do is not change mood or objectives day by day. I tell my players that in an emotional city like Naples, even if there is silence, they are still burning like Vesuvius underneath.

“I have no problem saying what our objectives are. We want to challenge with everything we’ve got, knowing there is a great deal at stake, that we have the possibility of making our careers immortal.

“I already said last week, we can either be forgotten or remembered forever. These head-to-head games depend on many factors, so it’s possible the opposition will do better than us, but they cannot be more motivated.

“I have also seen more maturity from my team, they no longer have this stressful and even neurotic response to setbacks. They consider and wait for the right moment to change the situation.”

Spalletti was asked in what areas Napoli are stronger than Milan and vice versa?

“Milan alternate building out slowly from the back with a long ball, sometimes even from their goalkeeper who puts it over the top for the rapid forwards, a bit like what we do with Victor Osimhen.

“Modern football is all about alternating the various elements you see everywhere now, not just being organised and tight, but also being able to create these one-on-one situations with physicality and strength.”