Juve cruising for a Napoli bruising
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
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Juventus boss Ciro Ferrara has said "like Rocky, I get punched but I'll never fall", but having gone 13 matches unbeaten under Walter Mazzarri, SSC Napoli are looking to floor the Turin heavyweights.
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Juventus coach Ciro Ferrara may believe that "like Rocky, I get punched but I will never fall" as he prepares to take on hometown club SSC Napoli in the Coppa Italia tonight, but after a dream start to life at the Partenopei helm, Walter Mazzarri is hoping to land a knockout punch tonight.
Past warning
Napoli were sixth from bottom in Serie A when Mazzarri replaced Roberto Donadoni at the helm on 6 October – they have not lost since. Against all odds, Sunday's 1-0 victory over the coach's former UC Sampdoria charges ensured they reached the halfway point level on points with third-placed Juventus, and Mazzarri wants the bandwagon to keep rolling. "I don't like to talk about partly-completed jobs," said the 48-year-old, whose side won 3-2 at Juve in October. "Napoli are used to getting amazing results and then enduring bad spells, so we can never relax."
Ferrara focus
Nor can Ferrara. The Juve coach was born in Naples 42 years ago and played for his hometown club between 1984 and 1994, but following their 3-0 weekend defeat by AC Milan there will be no room for sentiment as he seeks to guide the Bianconeri through to the quarter-finals. "I am like Rocky, I can get punched but I will never fall," he said, answering questions regarding his future at the club. "I don't think that the game with Napoli will be my last stop."
Mazzarri grounded
Napoli fans famously bought Diego Maradona a diamond earring when their most famous former player went through a bad patch, but their 13-match unbeaten run has demanded no similar gesture. However, the absence of striker Ezequiel Lavezzi through injury has left Mazzarri acutely aware of "what difficulties we could face" in the games ahead. "We should always fear our opponents," he said. "I don't want my players to feel that they're champions." However, he did not entirely rule out the possibility of achieving something extraordinary, explaining: "If we keep doing what we are doing at the moment... well, it wouldn't be a miracle but certainly something very close to one."
