Maurizio Sarri had little reason to smile in Napoli’s post-match press conference. It could not have been otherwise given Napoli’s performance which Sarri admitted was influenced by the result between Besiktas and Benfica: “regardless of whether we won or tied not much would have changed, and this conditioned our approach to the match. We started our preparation as Benfica led 3-1, but then we entered the pitch and Besiktas had tied. This had the effect of lowering our enthusiasm for the match, because we could no longer qualify for the knockout round today. This is bad; we cannot allow ourselves to be conditioned in such a way. One aspect of the performance which partially satisfied Sarri: “We created opportunities, and put Mertens in front of the goal three times in the first half hour of the match. But we are struggling to score at the moment. We are, however, growing defensively; the performance satisfied me at times.”
There was also space for questions related to the transfer market: “If I have received assurances from Napoli on purchasing an attacker? A club does not have to give assurances to anyone. The sporting director knows how I view the subject; he will decide what to do while giving appropriate attention to the club’s economic responsibilities. I can only give an opinion. Pavoletti? Lately I have not followed him much. I saw him play more when he was in Serie B. But he is Genoa’s player, and I will not allow myself to speak about individuals who are managed by other coaches.”
