Rafa Benitez remains on course to win silverware in his first season as Napoli head coach as the Partenopei reached their second Coppa Italia final in three years after a sensational 5-3 aggregate win over Roma.
Having coming in for some criticism following a run of two draws and two defeats in all competitions, Napoli have responded emphatically by recording successive wins over AC Milan and Roma at the Stadio San Paolo to silence growing frustration over Benitez’s tactical decisions and rotation policy in recent weeks.
The big occasions in Naples seem to have lifted the Azzurri side with the midfield and attack excelling in both games as they were allowed time and space that was denied in previous matches against Bologna, Chievo and Atalanta.
“In recent weeks we had basically beaten Bologna and conceded at the 93rd minute, Chievo had one shot on goal and we gave Atalanta three assists. It is different playing against a side like Roma or Milan, who attack and give you space to play football,” Benitez explained to Sky Sport Italia after Saturday’s 3-1 win over Milan.
One man in particular who has relished the space to play is Gonzalo Higuain. El Pipita first bagged a brace in the comeback against Milan before scoring a second-half header in the 3-0 win over Roma in front of his hero Diego Maradona.
The former Real Madrid forward is thriving from the affection of the Partenopei support and has even outlined his ambitions to emulate Maradona’s achievements with Argentina and Napoli next season.
“This is an important moment for me and for my career,” Higuain told Wednesday’s edition of Gazzetta dello Sport.
“I feel good physically and feel great at this club, with these team-mates.
“I want to do what Maradona did – I want to win the World Cup and the league title with Napoli. He triumphed in Mexico in 1986 and then won the Scudetto with Napoli. If I could do that it would be a dream come true.”
While it remains to be seen if Higuain will be able to achieve to fulfil his dreams, the Napoletani for now have a cup final to look forward to against Champions League qualification rivals Fiorentina in early May. Many supporters will also be increasingly hopeful that they can still catch Roma for second place in Serie A before the end of the season with the Giallorossi having to return to Naples next month.
Further reason for optimism is the increasing competition for starting places throughout the team after the return of several key players from injury including captain Marek Hamsik, Pepe Reina and Valon Behrami. January arrivals Jorginho and Faouzi Ghoulam have also improved the squad, with both players adding more balance to the side.
The Azzurri have also been further boosted by the news that defenders Giandomenico Mesto and Juan Zuniga could both return to first team action after long term right knee injuries at the end of the month, according to reports in Il Mattino and La Repubblica. Both players had performed well at the beginning of the season and it will be interesting to see how and if they fit back into the starting line-up.
Napoli will look to build on their fine week when they travel to Sassuolo in Serie A action this Sunday. Having been held to a 1-1 draw with the Neroverdi earlier in the season, they will be looking for all three points on this occasion. However, the Partenopei will be without suspended trio Jose Callejon, Gokhan Inler and Jorginho for the visit to the Mapei Stadium.
