Napoli boss Luciano Spalletti has signalled a firm message of belief in his men as they chalked up another win ahead of the Champions League clash with Rangers at Ibrox.
The Azzuri went into their Serie A meeting with Spezia full of confidence and swagger after such an emphatic win over Liverpool last midweek but could only manage a 1-0 win, thanks to a late strike from Giacomo Raspadori.
Spalletti was happy with what he saw but warned his team that they need to be more clinical, to ensure that they are taking full advantage or risk paying the price.
With his team sitting joint top of the Italian league – having taken 14 points from six games to date – he commented:
“It’s difficult to play three days after a night like that against Liverpool, especially in the afternoon in this heat, but despite it all, we did everything we could to get the result.”
“Thanks to our determination to keep going to the end, we found the breakthrough. This is a show of character, patience, belief that sooner or later we’ll find the goal, but we can’t always afford to be in these situations and they were costly last season.”
Intensity
The 4-1 victory over Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool showed the level that Napoli are operating at so Rangers are in for a huge test, even with the advantage of a raucous Ibrox crowd.
The backing provided by the supporters will only go so far, ultimately it is up to Gio van Bronckhorst’s team to rise to the occasion, to meet the challenge and inspire the energy from the stands throughout the game. That in itself will be no mean feat with the current slump but if a full Ibrox on Champions League night against an opposition of the calibre of Napoli doesn’t induce a spark from this team, it will signal a serious problem.
The stakes are high, but this Rangers team need to face up and show their hand.