When you say "a game that is worth a season". Napoli-Lazio that's right, with two teams that will play everything in 90 '. Up for grabs is the third and last place available for the Champions League, a fundamental goal that makes the difference between an excellent season and a normal one.
Lazio made life more complicated by losing the derby against Roma last Monday, a defeat which not only allowed the Giallorossi to arithmetically conquer second place, but which put Pioli's team in an extremely uncomfortable position. Lazio, in fact, must watch their backs, with Napoli trailing by only three points. Not only that, because by virtue of the victory of the Neapolitans in the first leg, if Benitez's men win again at the San Paolo (thus finishing level on points), they would be the ones to fly to the Champions League playoffs, forcing Lazio to settle for the 'Europa League: “I don't like putting the cart before the horse – said Pioli as he presented the match -, the match against Napoli is decisive. We'll sum up later. Either way, no one should be allowed to use the term flop or disappointment. I have to defend our work, too quickly we forget where we started from. We are in a ranking position which should not have competed with us in terms of budget, income and expenses, but with other companies. We deserved another result in the Italian Cup final, we guaranteed the Super Cup final, we started from ninth place, last year we were almost twenty points behind Napoli, thirty behind Roma. I'd like to review the attitude of the Coppa Italia semi-final, when we played an intelligent match, allowing Napoli little space in the counterattack. Benitez's team creates a lot, but also concedes a lot."
The biggest risk is that Lazio suffer the backlash after the defeat in the derby, an eventuality of which Pioli is well aware: “We took a good hit – admitted the Lazio coach -, the day after there was a lot of disappointment. I spoke little in the dressing room and only said two things to the players: we have to make a choice, whether to continue swimming in disappointment or to react. I gave a day off, it was right to take a break and on Thursday we met to start the training camp. Training with open doors, the fans have been wonderful, they don't realize how much energy and what kind of charge they have given us. All this contributed to recreate the conditions to see tomorrow a team that is ready, determined, eager to give its best".
Opposite there will be a Napoli that sees the end of the cycle of Benitez. This week the official farewell, with the need to hang up the plug after a disappointing season finale, but which could hold the biggest surprise right at the end. That qualification for the Champions League that seemed to have faded by now, but which in case of success would become reality. President De Laurentiis took care of giving the charge via Twitter, who decided to spend the day before in training camp with his team: “I met the team in the training camp in Castelvolturno. I saw the boys loaded and determined”.
