Luciano Spalletti warns Napoli know far too well from their Coppa Italia elimination how dangerous Cremonese can be and won’t be distracted by ‘people trying to make trouble’ for the team.
It kicks off on Sunday at 19.45 GMT at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.
“I have no thoughts about the Champions League right now, as I have too many reasons to focus on Cremonese without wasting energy,” said Spalletti in his press conference, with the first leg of the continental Round of 16 against Eintracht Frankfurt coming up.
“We have not yet forgotten that Cremonese eliminated us from the Coppa Italia. Seeing them against us, Inter and Juventus, they only lost to late goals and were difficult to face in every game.”
Last month in the Coppa Italia Round of 16, Cremonese held the title favourites to a 2-2 draw, eventually winning in a penalty shoot-out.
Despite that result and the elimination of Roma to set up a Coppa Italia semi-final against Fiorentina, Cremonese are still without a single Serie A victory this season.
“We need the support of the fans too, without going into any predictions or expectations. Cremonese are very dangerous on the counter-attack and we need to be aggressive to win the ball back quickly, or we might not win it back at all.
“That Coppa Italia elimination really wound us up and we must use that too tomorrow. I saw the right attitude recently, but the earlier we get games on the right track, the better. I expect more pace in the way we move the ball.”
Spalletti credits his players with being able to build a unified squad where everyone is ready to step up when needed, regardless of playing time.
“It is all about the good common sense of the players. Their behaviour has been impeccable, responsible, and gave the media very little to build negative stories around. That is to the credit of everyone who works at Napoli, we all work in sync.
“We also realise that it’s all about the present. We all have dreams and think about the future, but the most important thing is the next match.”
Napoli are 13 points clear at the top of the Serie A table and won their Champions League group too, going well beyond any expectations.
“I didn’t expect such a big advantage either – nobody did. We achieved it by playing incredible football in both Serie A and the Champions League, but we can also do better.
“I am not one for calculations and don’t like to talk about the future. Those who do want to create problems for us.”
The coach is only under contract until the end of the season and he was asked about a potential renewal.
“My contract is a miniscule detail inside a huge opportunity. If we want to create problems for ourselves, or other people trying to make trouble for us, then talk about the contracts. I would prefer to focus on the game.”
Spalletti confirmed in his press conference that Tanguy Ndombele did not take part in training today because his wife just gave birth.
“That is an excellent reason to skip training.”