Napoli boss Rafa Benitez has revealed that his team are only concentrated on beating Inter for now and will think of the Coppa Italia final after Saturday’s match is over.
The Partenopei will be facing the Nerazzurri at the San Siro on Saturday and the tactician wants his squad to secure the three points to strengthen their hold on third place, though he admits that the match will be tough, as the Milan side will be fighting to secure their Europa League spot for next season.
Benitez spoke during his pre-match press conference on Friday about the challenge Walter Mazzarri’s men will present against the Azzurri, while also commenting on some of his players and his future plans for Napoli.
“We all know how important tomorrow’s game is,” said the 54-year-old, who had a stint as Inter boss in 2010.
“We want to keep third place, while they want to maintain their Europa League spot. Besides this, there are two coaches who also know the enemy well.
“My experience at Inter? I have positive memories with all of the people who worked at the club. I had the right relationship with the fans and I had won two titles with the team.
“The Coppa Italia final against Fiorentina? First we have to win tomorrow’s match, which is most important.
“Then, I will also want to win the final. There are many different aspects to the game with Inter that can bring new objectives and seasonal goals.
“Will I rest players for the final? The important objective of today is that we secure enough points to keep third place. To already think of Coppa Italia final would be a mistake.
“Grit against Inter? No, I’m just thinking of Napoli and the good season we’ve had even after making so many changes to the squad last summer.
“We must always think about what we can still do and not about what has already been done.
“Where am I going with Napoli? We want to always improve. We did it January and now we want to continue doing it in the summer, even with a ‘pezzo da 90’. We want to improve the squad and continue to let the players who are already here grow.
“How are Henrique and [Jose] Callejon? They’ve been training normally.
“What have I told the team? To think only of Inter, so we can then demonstrate our desire to do well in the Coppa Italia final.
“How is Napoli today? It’s a team that’s built to try and improve even after the good results that were obtained with Mazzarri as coach.
“I wanted to bring my idea of the game and I think we’re on the right path. I know that we can still improve.
“Inter? They’re a very important club. They have players of the highest level and because of this it will be hard to face them tomorrow. They want to get into the Europa League and it will be difficult for us to defeat them.
“Will we raise the technical rate on the market? Character cannot be bought in the market and that’s why we have to grow as a team.
“We have to improve our game on the level of quality. A few injuries have taken important players, among them [Juan Camilo] Zuniga. Surely he will be an important element for next season.
“Will I greet [Massimo] Moratti and [Marco] Materazzi? Before the game I’m always focused on just the match, so I got straight to the locker room and then to the field.
“I do not seek any revenge against Inter. I had a good relationship with almost everyone there. However, now I only think of Napoli and winning the match.
“Lorenzo Insigne? He’s young and still needs to grow. Lorenzo is a good player and he’s working hard to improve.
“I love his mentality. He’s happy because he sees that he’s growing and I am with him.”
