(Reuters) – Coach Luciano Spalletti says Napoli will continue to play as they did before the break as the squad returns from the World Cup hiatus atop Serie A.
Chasing their third Scudetto title, Napoli are eyeing a record-equalling 12th consecutive league win when they travel to Inter Milan as action resumes in Italy’s top flight on Wednesday.
“We are not starting again because, as I already said, we’ll start from where we left off,” Spalletti told reporters on Tuesday.
“We’ll face a great team. We’ll play our brand of football which has given benefits to the team.”
Napoli’s previous Serie A titles came in 1987 and 1990 with a team inspired by former Argentina forward Diego Maradona.
Spalletti said he did not fear that the winning streak momentum was lost after the seven-week break for the World Cup.
“We began this amazing trip a year-and-a-half ago, and there are no stops, we will only rest when we know how it ends,” he said, referring to his period at Napoli.
Inter have won each of their last four home Serie A matches against Napoli, creating a challenge for the only club in the top five European leagues that have not lost this season.
“Inter are a top team over the last three-and-a-half years, and they have made investments worthy of a top European club,” he said.
“They know how to defend well, and they will be tricky with counter-attacks, leaving their two strikers against our two central defenders, so we’ll need organisation and balance.”
Spalletti also warned against taking things for granted and said he merely wanted to bring happiness to fans.
“The Scudetto is your obsession, not mine. My obsession is to see this city explode in joy,” he told reporters.
(Reporting by Tommy Lund in Gdansk; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne)
