Luciano Spalletti finally admits Napoli are on the verge of celebrating the Scudetto after the last-gasp win over Juventus. ‘It repays you for all the sacrifices that you made over the years.’
The Partenopei are now only five points away from the Scudetto, so if they win against Salernitana and Lazio fail to beat Inter, they could mathematically clinch the title next weekend.
“When you win important games like this against opponents of this level and are up there this close to the end of the season, those are bricks in the wall of the final triumph. So naturally the players celebrated, especially as we scored in stoppages, which made it even more exhilarating,” Spalletti told DAZN.
“However, let us wait before popping champagne corks and hearts, because it’s not done yet. I congratulated the team, because they played well and it wasn’t easy just days after the regrets of the Champions League exit. I don’t think we could’ve done any more today.”
Napoli went out of the Champions League quarter-final to Milan midweek, 2-1 on aggregate after a 1-1 draw at the Stadio Maradona.
“If we all work together, the joy feels doubled, just as we were all together and the suffering was halved the other day in the Champions League.”
VAR proved decisive in the match, as Juve had two goals disallowed – for an Arkadiusz Milik foul on Stanislav Lobotka and Federico Chiesa pulling the ball out of play – before Giacomo Raspadori met the Eljif Elmas cross at the back post for a perfect volley.
It is fair to say that Napoli had complaints about the refereeing in the first half too, as felt Federico Gatti deserved a red card for striking Kvicha Kvaratskhelia on the side of the head.
“We played the game we wanted to play, but sometimes incidents and moments can change the course of the match. I think you are rewarded in the end if you keep relying on your own style of play and the team fully deserves to be in this position.”
Spalletti has never won the Serie A title, so finding himself on the verge of that achievement with a Napoli side who haven’t celebrated it since the days of Diego Armando Maradona, it is a life-changing moment.
“Every now and then you do look back. I have not travelled around in first class looking out of the window, it was by hitch-hiking! So when you find yourself in a position to win this Scudetto, it repays you for all the sacrifices that you made over the years.
“Naturally, it is satisfying to be here. I have often been mocked for wearing football boots on the touchline, but I remember when I desperately wanted those boots and could not afford to get them. I remember that well. It has been a tougher road perhaps than others who start from different levels, they earned respect and admiration for their playing careers in order to deserve the opportunity to lead a top team from the start.”