YOUNG BLUE DOMINIC IS UN TO WATCH
NAPOLI boss Maurizio Sarri wants to see fear on the faces of Manchester City players at the sold-out Stadio San Paolo tonight.
No Premier League club has won at the southern Italian ground with City, Chelsea, Arsenal and Swansea all losing while Liverpool managed a goalless draw.
Now Napoli are top of Serie A after a storming start to their domestic season which has seen them win 10 of their first 11 matches. They are unbeaten at their intimidating home since losing to Real Madrd in March last year. And 60,000 home fans will be seeking another home victory Man City S Donetsk Napoli Feyenoord tonight. Sarri (above) said: “It is an experience playing here. City are used to playing games at a certain level but I would like to see frightened faces from them.
“I don’t consider City unbeatable because there is no such thing in football. I only know that at the moment they are the best in Europe coached by the best in the world.”
City won 2-1 at the Etihad a fortnight ago when keeper Ederson saved a Dries Mertens penalty. “The player who gave us most problems was Ederson who saved a penalty and who was found about 50 times by his defenders,” Sarri said. “It took so much pressure away from them.” P W D L F A Pts 3 3 0 0 8 1 9 3 2 0 1 4 4 6 3 1 0 2 5 5 3 3 0 0 3 2 9 0 Manchester City have won their opening three games of a European tournament for the first time since 2008/09 (in the UEFA Cup), however this is the first time they’ve achieved it in the Champions League. City have been involved in six competitive fixtures on the road against Italian opposition but have only recorded one win in that time (D2 L3); they lost away at Napoli during the 2011/12 group stage campaign. Pep Guardiola’s men have claimed three wins from three games so far in the 2017/18 group stage; there have been 42 examples of sides managing this prior to this campaign since the current format was set up in 2003/04, all of them have progressed to the Last 16. Napoli have lost four of their last five matches in the Champions League (W1), including in their most recent outing against City. City have tasted defeat only once in their last 10 Champions League group stage matches (W6 D3); that loss coming at the Nou Camp against Barcelona in the 2016/17 campaign. Only Barcelona (2,273) have attempted more passes in the Champions League this season than Manchester City (2,077); the Citizens have the highest completion rate so far in the competition however (90%). John Stones has registered more passes than any other player this season in the competition (320). DOMINIC CALVERT-LEWIN can picture Everton finally winning under David Unsworth after revealing he has a photo of him at home.
Unsworth was Sheffield United’s academy coach when Calvert-Lewin signed scholarship forms in 2013 with his home-town club.
The snap is of a beaming Calvert-Lewin putting pen to paper for the Under-16s, watched by his parents and Unsworth.
The striker never imagined then that Unsworth would be his boss at Everton and he insists the Blues can record their first win under their caretaker manager at Lyon tomorrow in the Europa League.
“I remember when I signed my scholarship as an Under-16, I still have the picture at home of me with Unsy and my parents,” said Calvert-Lewin, who played for Unsworth in Everton’s Under-23s’ title-winning side last season.
“It’s strange to think that a few years down the line I’m here at Everton and he’s managing me.
“I know him well and I’m looking forward to scoring goals under him. It was him who brought me to the club and showed belief in me, which was a massive thing for me at the time.
“To have a familiar face here was good for me – and he helped me move into the first team.
“As a team, we want to pick up performances, start winning games and see where that takes us.
“Everyone is looking forward to trying to return to winning ways.”
Calvert-Lewin, 20, claims Everton are showing positive signs with Unsworth (both, above), despite losing their first two matches under him to Chelsea and Leicester.
“The match at Chelsea showed we have those good performances in us,” he added. “Then in the second half against Leicester, they had a two-goal cushion, but we were trying to break them down for the full 45 minutes and were the better side.
“If we can keep bringing that intensity and standard of play to our performances, then we will start to win games again.”
GROUP F TABLE