Napoli coach Rafael Benitez has stated that Partenopei supporters remind him of those at former side Liverpool as they are both very passionate for their club.
Benitez wrote about Napoli’s supporters in The Independant, stating that the passion of the Partenopei fans is similar to what he saw at Liverpool from 2004 to 2010.
“There are so many similarities between Liverpool and Naples and the passion for football is one of them. Now, they are two cities who find their local teams riding high again in the league.
“When people stop me here, wanting to talk football, I tell them that the road through the season is a long one – but it is hard for them to look at it that way. Football is like that for all of us. It is a great creator of hopes and dreams!”
Benitez also commented on the club’s disappointing 2 – 0 defeat to Arsenal in the Champions League, stating that he hopes the defeat will serve as a useful lesson.
“Arsene Wenger has a strong side, with pace. They were as good as I had said they would be beforehand and the 2-0 win for them showed us that.
“We are developing as a team at Napoli. We learnt things about how we must deal with sides of Arsenal’s quality and speed. It has been encouraging to see how we can recover from that.
“We enjoyed a good 4-0 win over Livorno four days after leaving London, despite not having Gonzalo Higuain with us because of a small injury.
“Next, we look to our big game against Roma, the only side above us in Serie A, which has been brought forward to Friday because of public demonstrations. It will be a test for us. A lot of people are talking about it. But the spirit among us is good.”
