Carlo: Napoli will survive cauldron
CARLO ANCELOTTI insists his Napoli team will not melt under the lights at Anfield and has warned Liverpool to prepare for all-out attack. There is an expectation that Liverpool’s final-game decider will follow the pattern of so many matches before, with the hosts extracting themselves from a difficult situation and the visitors crumbling in the cacophony. Napoli, though, are not a team of novices and Ancelotti, their wily old coach, has been in the game long enough not to be flustered by noise. He is respectful of the threat Liverpool pose but the former Chelsea manager believes the atmosphere will lift his players. ‘Anfield is a beautiful stadium,’ said the 59year-old Italian, whose side are unbeaten in five Group C games. ‘The best stadium in the world for atmosphere. The people are really passionate. For players it’s really nice to be here and play this kind of game. To play here it’s really exciting. ‘I don’t know what will happen but I hope they won’t be affected. My players are positive. Everyone wants to play at one of the best stadiums in the world in terms of atmosphere. ‘There are lots of Liverpool fans but there will also be 3,000 Napoli fans here and many more watching.’ Napoli are the only team in Italy who have threatened to check Juventus’s dominance and they have done so by playing an aggressive style. They warmed up for this clash by scoring four times against Frosinone on Saturday and Ancelotti will urge his side to go for goals again. ‘We all know how they play at home with the intensity, said Ancelotti (below). ‘We will try to maintain a high level of intensity. We haven’t come here to sit back but to play our own game. ‘There are two important phases in football — attack and defence and we need to get both of them right.’ A 1-0 victory over Liverpool in Naples in October put Ancelotti’s men in a good position to qualify for the knockout stages but the manager knows they still have work to do. ‘We have done very well so far and we will have a little advantage,’ he said. ‘The cake has been made, now we need the
cherry.’