Vincenzo Montella met with the media this morning to discuss tomorrow’s Serie A match with Napoli. Here’s a selection of the Viola coach’s musings: “It’s another important game for us, just as Thursday’s was. Being sure of our place in the draw for the next round is good for morale, although I’d have preferred to wrap up first place as well so that we could concentrate more on the league. “We currently occupy a lower position in the table than where we want to be and where we can be. We’re playing Napoli just as they’ve hit a bit of a purple patch, which makes it even harder but also more motivating for us. We’ll need to pull out all the stops. I want to win this game. “We know Napoli sometimes let you come at them because if you then lose possession they can be devastating on the counter. Napoli have a formidable forward line with Higuain, Callejon, Insigne, Mertens, Hamsik. They’re a fantastic mix of players and together they probably form the best attack in Serie A. “Last year our home defeat to them hurt a lot because of the way it came about, and of course the cup final was also a major disappointment, so in a way that gives our players an extra incentive to want to beat them. It’s just a healthy sporting rivalry though, nothing more than that. “I liked the way Marin played when he came on against PAOK, but he’s not completely there yet fitness-wise. “Gomez did everything really well on Thursday apart from the finishing and that’s a big plus from a player who’s only just come back. I’m sure we’ll soon see the player we wanted when we signed him. He’s working really hard in training and his quality will shine through. He mustn’t let the lack of goals get to him because he’s on the right path. He has our full confidence. “Pizarro’s comments before the PAOK game were a word of warning, perhaps for himself as much as the team. It’s good to have players who show that level of maturity and self-analysis. He’s a fantastic player. Unfortunately he’s coming towards the end of his career now but he’s still a key player for us. Sometimes he makes mistakes but we need people out there who run those risks in order to help the team play better.”
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