Kosta Runjaic insists Udinese are heading to Naples intent on picking up points, yet is fully aware of the size of his team's task against the league leaders.
Speaking at a press conference on Friday, the coach began with an analysis of Antonio Conte' side before discussing his own charges and the match itself.
“I think Napoli are an even more physical team than we are. They always run more kilometres than their opponents and always play with such intensity. They play good football too and have talented individuals. We're going to need great intensity ourselves. We must remain compact and squeeze every drop of energy we have if we want to pick up points at their place. We must pull out all the stops and play as a team to get a result.
“[David[ Neres played well in the reverse fixture and he's in good form at the moment. There's no magic formula to keep him quiet. It will have to be a team effort.
"We've watched Napoli's last game and seen how they defend as a unit and leave very few spaces but they didn't get a lot of chances because Roma were compact and closed them down well. We have to do the same thing: not leave any gaps and use the ball well when we have it.
"They have fast players who have been playing together for a long time but you can't always stop players like Neres or [Matteo] Politano 1 v 1. We have to work together to stop them, and do so in all areas of the pitch.
“[Keinan] Davis trained with us this week but then he had a bit of flu. I hope he can train again next week and then make the matchday squad. [Lautaro] Giannetti will come with us and so will [Kingsley] Ehizibue – he's been training and looks to be in good shape.
“[Jurgen] Ekkelenkamp still has lots he can improve but he's very versatile: he can play on the flank or in the middle and he's played in the hole before too. He's got great stamina. After the Venezia match we showed him some situations where he could have taken up different positions to do even better. He often leaves his position but when he does he helps a lot in causing trouble for the opposition. He had a good game against Venezia. He's trained well this week and he could start against Napoli.
“[Alexis] Sanchez is improving after starting the season with an injury which meant he missed the first half of the campaign. He has a lot of experience but he needs time to show what he's capable of. He needs to be more involved when we have the ball. We have to work well as a team to harry the opposition when we don't have the ball. We'll need to do that against Napoli because we won't have a lot of possession. Sanchez can do that but it's not his main strength. We must be patient but we have other players who can do more in certain situations.
“Sanchez is training well and is one of the leaders but he's a member of the team like everyone else and I can't grant him a special status. He's known that from the start and he understands it. It's important that he sends out the right signals even when he's not playing and shares his experience with his team-mates. It's important that he acts as a leader and sets a good example. We talk with him a lot. He's aware of his role in the team and he knows he can raise his game.
“We all need to improve and against Napoli we'll need to go beyond our limits. They're in excellent form at the moment and they'll want three points to maintain their title challenge. We're not in the title race but we're not going there to roll over. It will be harder than against Venezia but you never know in football. Sometimes games take an unexpected turn.
“I have confidence in all my players but I don't defend them just because I'm their coach. You have to talk about mistakes. [Razvan] Sava needs to improve his communication and we've spoken to him about it. He has to show more authority and he's working on it. Mistakes can happen and goalkeepers' mistakes are the most obvious ones but when a player makes a mistake it's not just his fault – they come about from situations where other players haven't done their jobs perfectly. Sava is adapting to Serie A. He doesn't have that much experience yet. We're working with him on all the areas where he can improve. Our goalkeeping coaches are working on those things every day and doing everything that can be done.”
“It's my first time in Naples as a coach but those who have played there before have told me there's a special atmosphere. We have to step out there focused on our jobs and not think about what's going on around us. I can't wait to play this game. I've coached Legia [Warsaw] and there was an incredible atmosphere at the stadium there. The Legia fans are famous in Poland but I think in Naples the euphoria is on another level. We're playing the league leaders and we have nothing to lose. We'll give it our best shot.
“I make the final decisions on the day of the match. Against Venezia, I opted for a back four partly because of the absences – Ehizibue, for example, who had always played. Napoli play with four at the back, with two central defenders who get involved in building play, two traditional wingers, great box-to-box midfielders. In the reverse fixture we went with a back three. We did well at times but lost 3-1. On Sunday it will be less about the formation and more about our cohesion. We'll need to work together both when attacking and when defending. We must be switched on at the back and try to turn defence into attack, then take the chances we create. We'll need all 11 players to defend regardless of the system we play.
"Nobody has ever won a game before kick-off but Napoli are the favourites. Football is an open game. I didn't mean that we have nothing to lose in a literal sense. We'll give Napoli nothing for free. If we give everything we have, then anything is possible. We'll go there intent on picking up points albeit knowing that lots of things will need to fall into place for that to happen. We know how strong and consistent they are. The stats say they've always produced great performances. They also have the advantage of not playing in Europe this season, but we don't have Europe either so we'll use every drop of energy to come away from Naples with something.”