Benítez: "We are the title holders and we want to win the Cup again"

The Spanish coach aspires to achieve the trophy again

21/01/2015sscnapoli.it/rafabenitez.com

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For Rafa Benítez, the head coach of SSC Napoli, the goal is to try and get as far as possible in the competition. In their pre-match press conference prior to the game against Udinese tomorrow he acknowledged the difficulty of winning the Italian Cup and talked about his aim for this year´s competition; to defend their title, the one they won last year in Rome against Fiorentina. In this respect the Spaniard declared: "We are current Cup holders and we aspire to win it again this season. We know it won´t be easy, we know our rivals will try their very best to make sure it does not happen, but we will defend our crown and we will try to get as far as possible. And if we can, win the trophy again. That is our intention, we want to get to the final and win it".

"I think we can say with confidence that at the moment the team is doing well, they are playing at a high level and doing things as we planned. The team has clearly improved since we won the Super Cup in Doha against Juventus" stated the Spaniard who also explained that: "we can say without a doubt that we are now going through a good moment in all respects, even in the physical tests we carry out, they show that the squad is in optimum fitness. I insist once again, we have to defend this title and we want to show, when we jump on that pitch, that we are champions, with maximum concentration, giving our all to achieve the best result possible in each and every game from here to the final".

Aside from the above, Benítez answered other questions put to him by the media in the press room at the SSC Napoli training ground in Castel Volturno.

Rafa, will there be rotations tomorrow in the Cup game against Udinese?


"I think for anybody who knows this squad and the calendar that we have ahead it is clear that from now on we have more and more games, some in the same week. We are playing Serie A, now we are starting the Cup competition and soon the UEFA Europa League will restart. We have an obligation to act responsibly, we have to measure our energies. We rely on a very professional group, with strength and quality, everyone has the opportunity to play and at the same time demonstrate their value and what they can contribute to the objectives of the club. I also believe that to increase internal competitiveness between members of the team we have to do rotations. They are important because of everything we have reviewed and additionally, in our experience they are fundamental when facing an intense season, with a large number of games in various competitions".

Will Gabbiadini play from the start?

"At this stage, I think so. If everything goes well and there are no unexpected events he could be on the pitch tomorrow from the first minute. Against Udinese there will be changes to the line-up, like we said before, so that we can give minutes to players who have played less. Also, Albiol and Inler are suspended so there will definitely be changes".

In this first half of the Serie A Napoli has achieved more points away than in the San Paolo stadium....

"Yes, that´s what the figures say, it is an important figure and it can be looked at in two different ways, both in a positive way and in a negative way. For my part I prefer to continue maintaining the good average of points gained away and improve the results at home at the ‘San Paolo’, we could also even aspire for much more in the competition. That said, I think that we have lost a lot of points at home that we deserved to win and I am convinced that we can regain them in this second half of the season".

Could Napoli still aspire for second place in the table?

"I have always said that in football you can never say never. But we have to be rational and especially coherent and think, as we have done so since my arrival here, focusing on the most immediate game, from game to game. It has always been my philosophy. The three points in play in each game are a lot of points. We are aware that there are 19 games to be played before the end, I think it is clear that everything is possible at this time. Some things may be more difficult, others may be more feasible, but they are all mathematically possible at the moment. Having said that, and for the umpteenth time, I only think exclusively about the growth of the team. If we continue at this rate, I am sure that we will have a better second half of the season than the first. How far can we go? We will see in time".


Napoli has already lost the game against Udinese in the first leg of the Serie A....

"That´s true, although I honestly think that it was a completely undeserved defeat. In any case we are now talking about the Italian Cup and I believe it is not worth recreating the past, we have to look forward. We already know what it feels like to win this trophy, we have it very fresh in our mind and we want to repeat those feelings again. Winning also helps growth and improves the level of the team".


It is possible that tomorrow you may face a great goal scorer, who is also Neapolitan: Di Natale. What is your opinion on him?

"There is no need for me to speak well of Di Natale, the figures, goals and his performances on the pitch say it all. He is a spectacular player, everybody knows this. We have to think exclusively on our team and have enough pride to show that we are the Italian Cup champions and we want to win it again".