Napoli have released a new t-shirt to commemorate this Saturday’s Coppa Italia final at the Stadio Olimpico against Fiorentina with the collective message of ‘together to win.’
This banner emphasises the unity that the Partenopei public, who will be descending on Rome or perhaps watching the game together on a giant screen at the Rotonda Diaz, has with their side.
But it also has resonance for the Napoli first-team which has been accused of being over reliant on moments of individual brilliance by Gonzalo Higuain or Jose Callejon, and to a lesser extent Dries Mertens and Lorenzo Insigne, to score goals and win matches this season.
With the possibility that Higuain may miss the Coppa final after suffering a heavy bruise to his right tibia in a collision with Marco Andreolli during the Azzurri’s goalless draw at Inter last Saturday, a collective performance will become increasingly important in order to take the pressure off Napoli’s attacking focal point.
While there is increasing optimism that Pipita will be able to recover in time, there is an added expectation on the midfield with both Marek Hamsik and Gökhan Inler in particular being looked on to direct the Vesuviani attacks and have telling contributions in the final third.
It was Inler nearly made the difference against Inter on Rafa Benitez’s return to the San Siro when he hit the post from a well-worked counter-attack which involved Hamsik, who made his 300th Napoli appearance when he came on as a second-half substitute for Mertens.
But both sides were equally content to settle for a first 0-0 draw in this Serie A fixture since February 1994, despite the Partenopei creating the clearer chances with Callejon having the best of them.
The former Real Madrid wide man volleyed wide from six yards after running on to a Mertens ball over the top after 13 minutes and then had another excellent opportunity nearly ten minutes later when the influential Insigne played him through on goal with a fantastic through ball from the half-way line. Perhaps suffering from a lack of confidence as a result of his earlier miss, Callejon attempted to cut the ball back for Higuain rather than go for goal.
The result means that Napoli have all but secured a Champions League play-off spot, with the Azzurri eight points ahead of Fiorentina for third position in Serie A with only three games remaining.
Although finishing ahead of the Viola in the league will be at the back of many minds in Naples this week as they anxiously wait to find out if Higuain will be able to lead the charge against the Gigliati as they look to secure the club’s fifth Coppa Italia triumph.
The Partenopei have already received an injury boost ahead of Saturday with Christian Maggio now available for selection having being cleared to compete by a panel of experts at the Italian Olympic Committee following a collapsed lung.
Fiorentina’s pre-match build-up is also being dominated by injury worries with Viola coach Vincenzo Montella claiming in his post-match press conference at Bologna that Mario Gomez is unlikely to play again this season. Giuseppe Rossi could be involved most likely starting from the bench, while in-form winger Juan Cuadrado is suspended.
