Don’t listen to Pep
Napoli so wary of gushing Guardiola
IT became clear yesterday that Napoli, and more specifically their president Aurelio De Laurentiis, have been watching Pep Guardiola closely since the Champions League draw threw them together.
The positive comments made by Manchester City’s manager about the Serie A leaders have been noted with interest.
Napoli are one of the three most attractive teams in Europe, says Guardiola. They have a flawless manager in Maurizio Sarri.
Essentially, they are a footballing juggernaut and preparations to face them have been going on at City for weeks.
De Laurentiis is not buying it, though.
‘Pep’s a wily old fox,’ he said, betraying a suspicion of mind games before the Italians had even arrived in the north west of England yesterday afternoon.
‘I wouldn’t like it if Guardiola’s praise resulted in my players losing focus. It concerns me.’
Some of Guardiola’s English Premier League contemporaries might have sensed a degree of faux admiration — Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino, for one — but this is different. You better believe that Guardiola is deadly serious about this one.
City are wary of Sarri and what he brings to the Etihad tonight. Something ‘spectacular,’ according to legendary former AC Milan manager Arrigo Sacchi, who Guardiola credits with revolutionising Italian football.
With eight wins from eight in Serie A, a run extended by a 1-0 victory at Roma last Saturday, this season represents their best chance of winning the Italian title since 1990.
Diego Maradona was pulling the strings then and there is a feeling in Naples that the glory days are returning for the club.
England’s top scorers host Italy’s best defence and Napoli’s goal difference of 21 is only bettered by City and Paris Saint-Germain in Europe’s top divisions.
All looks set for a match as exhilarating as last season’s thrilling 6-6-on-aggregate last-16 thriller against Monaco — and Guardiola knows it.
‘Maybe you don’t believe me,’ said a smiling Guardiola. ‘I read from the president that my words are just to distract Napoli, but it is just what I believe to be true.
‘If the president prefers to hear that they are a disaster team, I can say that as well. I don’t need to compliment them.
‘I like to watch them. I am a manager, a professional, but I am a spectator as well. I like to watch Napoli when I am at home. I love many, many things about a Sarri team. He will change something important and he will be important for Italian football.’ Perhaps De Laurentiis — who has cheekily implored Sarri to make wholesale changes to the team by claiming next weekend’s match against Inter Milan is more important — has an inferiority complex. There is no need for that and Guardiola (below) added: ‘The things that Napoli do, they do them perfectly. They have three guys who are so dynamic — Lorenzo Insigne, Dries Mertens and Jose Callejon. ‘In the middle, they have Marek Hamsik, who can also run in behind. It is not a team that is going to wait. For me it is a fascinating challenge.’ Guardiola, who has Sergio Aguero back to full fitness after he returned to the bench for the 7-2 rout of Stoke on Saturday, has serious weaponry at his disposal. ‘We can always do better,’ he said, with a deadpan expression on face. Yet he and City are fully aware that, with Kevin De Bruyne in this sort of mood, they can match anybody. The aim now is to elevate the Belgian to a similar realm to Lionel Messi.
‘Messi is apart (from the rest),’ said Guardiola. ‘He is a guy who scored 60 goals for the last eight, nine, ten seasons. I want to help Kevin all I can to get to the highest level possible.
‘If you want Kevin to be considered one of the best, he has to win titles. We are here to help him achieve that.’
For that, City need to break what Guardiola perceives to be Spanish dominance. ‘It is what history says in the last ten to 12 years,’ added Guardiola.
‘It has been Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, Sevilla, and teams like us need to show that we are at their level.’
Tonight would be a significant place for City to start.