Napoli coach Rafa Benitez claims while Serie A is his primary objective, the squad will do everything it can to advance to the Coppa Italia final.
The Partenopei face Roma on Wednesday in the capital for the first match of a two-legged semi final tie with the winner advancing to face either Fiorentina or Udinese.
“The Champions League is our priority, so we have to qualify,” he told the press. “We can also try to win something this year, though, so I am trying to manage the squad.”
The Spaniard has been criticized for his squad rotation policy but Benitez defended the strategy.
“We have to make choices, make changes,” the tactician continued. “Sometimes you have to take risks. I accept the criticism but I work my own way.”
On the heels of a club record points total in the first half of the campaign, Napoli’s form in 2014 has dipped as they dropped points against Chievo and Bologna before being hammered 3-0 this past Sunday against Atalanta.
The club has come under fire from fans who’ve criticized both player performances and club decisions including whistling Napoletano Lorenzo Insigne off the pitch last week and moving six-year club captain Paolo Cannavaro to Sassuolo.
“We have to remain united, it’s the key,” Benitez told the fans. “The message is positive. We are working harder and will return to our previous form.”
When speaking of their Coppa Italia opponents Benitez praised the Giallorossi .
“They have great balance and a lot of quality in attack,” he said. “Because of this we’ll need to repeat our performance in the league, albeit with a bit more luck in front of goal.”
Napoli lost a hard fought match 2-0 in October on the back of contentious penalty awarded to Roma, some wasteful finishing and a brilliant Miralem Pjanic free kick.
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