After achieving qualification for the Champions League, Napoli obtained a decisive victory over Cagliari. It has been a good week for Napoli as they beat Rastelli’s men 5-0.
Dries Mertens was the star as he once again started as Napoli’s striker and managed to net three goals. Maurizio Sarri spoke about Mertens in a post-match interview with Sky: “Dries can certainly play as a central forward, but when he is in such physical and mental form, then we must focus more on the player rather than on his role. He is a great player and moving him over a few meters does not make much of a difference.”
“Today we faced a difficult challenge, because it is not easy recovering from the mental energy and nervousness of the Champions League. It was also difficult due to the time, because this is when teams like to play badly. Finally, it was also difficult because Cagliari play very well at home. We did, however, respond with a fantastic performance; we played with a very offensive style, but what makes the difference is whether or not our players are willing to sacrifice themselves by defending. Now we must only think about the next game against Torino, a team which is doing great things.”
In conclusion, Sarri spoke about Koulibaly who left the match due to injury: “We still do not understand the exact nature of his problem. He took a knock and is feeling some pain in his knee. But the sensation is that it is nothing serious. However, we must wait until tomorrow to know more.”
