Giovanni Trapattoni trusts Napoli can win the Scudetto, but reveals he turned down the club because “there was too much pressure.”
Il Trap has won League titles in Italy, Germany, Portugal and Austria, but there is one job he wouldn’t take.
Giovanni Trapattoni trusts Napoli can win the Scudetto, but reveals he turned down the club because “there was too much pressure.”
Il Trap has won League titles in Italy, Germany, Portugal and Austria, but there is one job he wouldn’t take.
“There is no patience in the south, even though it is the club with the best long-term plan that wins out,” Trapattoni told Il Mattino newspaper.
“Every time Juventus were beaten in Europe, Boniperti would arrive and reassure us it wasn’t a tragedy, so there was no need to cry and wail over it.
“We won at Juve because, unlike places such as Napoli and Roma, we did not experience those huge leaps from enthusiasm to despair.
“They continue to make the clubs in southern Italy unique in the world, but can also be frightening. You can’t win a game without being treated like a prophet or lose the next week and hear your job is hanging by a thread.
“I was often called to Napoli, first as a player and then a Coach. I am enchanted by the city, but the pressure created around the team can really affect performances.”
Trapattoni is impressed with the way Rafa Benitez is handling Napoli’s Champions League exit.
“Balance in football is like a spider’s web – one puff of wind and it can break. I am certain Benitez’s Napoli can win this Scudetto.
“Perhaps he was wise to take some time off this week, as staying would’ve meant going back over the same errors and lighting that fire of controversy again. Being away is his way of saying he’s got the situation in hand, everyone relax and we’ll discuss it later.
“Juventus and Roma are on paper superior, but the reality is always more complex than that. Benitez has Higuain, Callejon and all those quality internationals, but football is a moment, a lapse of concentration.
“My Republic of Ireland team went out of the Euros due to a mistaken throw-in at the 92nd minute.”