On Tuesday, a much-improved Napoli will face Barcelona in what manager Francesco Calzona of the Italian team called their “match of the year” as they look to advance to the Champions League quarterfinals.
Following his appointment as head coach of the 55-year-old team, Napoli finished last month’s first leg of the round of 16 with a 1-1 draw against Barca. Since then, the team has gone six games without a loss across all competitions.
Calzona stated that Tuesday’s game is the most important of the season since a victory will validate his team’s progress since his appointment, much like Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez did earlier in the day.
“With Barcelona the challenge is very important, it’s the match of the year, passing the round would mean a lot at a corporate level and enthusiasm for the team,” the reporter from Italy said.
“Compared to the first leg, we have changed a lot, now the team is more compact, we concede less, we are able to create more, we are scoring enough, we are defending up front.”The boys deserve all the credit for their enormous progress over the last three weeks. However, there is still more work to be done before we can achieve my goals.
Barcelona is currently leading La Liga, while Napoli has withdrawn from the running for the Serie A title. They are currently sitting in seventh place in the standings, thirty-one points behind leaders Inter Milan.
“You don’t even have to show up if you are afraid,” Calzona stated in reference to playing the Spanish champs. “You have to have the boldness to face a strong and healthy opponent, but knowing that Napoli can play on equal terms with anyone trying to win games.”
In response to Friday’s 1-1 Serie A draw with Torino, Calzona stated that his team needs to get better collectively if they want to defeat Barcelona.
“We have ninety or one hundred and twenty minutes to work as a team as our weapon. Individuals must work toward the common goal in order to fulfill their goals,” he stated.