Jose Mourinho has issued a warning to his Roma team to stay on high alert for the strong challenge posed by reigning Serie A champions Napoli, as they prepare to face off at the Stadio Olimpico on Saturday evening.
Walter Mazzarri’s squad suffered a humiliating 4-0 loss to Frosinone in the Coppa Italia during the week, adding to a challenging season that has left them trailing by 14 points.
Despite a defeat to Bologna last week, which ended a five-game unbeaten run in domestic matches, Mourinho’s team has the opportunity to overtake Napoli in the standings if they secure a victory.
However, Mourinho cautioned that the visiting team remains largely unchanged from the side that clinched the title last season, apart from the absence of star player Kim Min-jae, who made the switch to Bayern Munich, and former coach Luca Spalletti.
During a press conference, Mourinho stated, “They’ve had problems in terms of a few results, but not the quality of their players. They’re the same team that won the league last year, without Kim. Out of the starting 11 that won them the Scudetto, 10 are still playing.”
“They have so many options in every position and they’re a top team. We know what the difficulties are. Every time we’ve faced Napoli, the result has always gone down to the wire.”
Napoli had started to show signs of a revival in their season in recent weeks, having progressed to the next stage of the Champions League and triumphing over Cagliari last week following two consecutive defeats.
However, their loss at home on Tuesday, with Frosinone inflicting most of the damage even after Napoli introduced key players such as Victor Osimhen and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia from the bench, left Mazzarri baffled.
“Perhaps the first-choice players are not accustomed to coming off the bench and absurdly we did better with the lads who don’t play as often,” Mazzarri expressed to Italian media.
“We need to reflect on that. It’s a pity – you can lose in football, but not 4-0. We looked like everyone was just doing their own thing. I hope this can be a lesson for the future, as from tomorrow we must all look each other in the eye and change gear.”
