LUCIANO Spalletti has taken Napoli to the top of Serie A and into the Champions League last 16 this season - just months after Italian club’s ultras stole his beloved Fiat Panda from outside their team hotel following a bad run of results and informed him they would only return it if he quit his job.
So it is maybe no surprise that he thinks the “taxi for Giovanni van Bronckhorst” calls which have emanated from disgruntled Rangers fans in recent weeks are uncalled for and is confident his opposite number can get the Ibrox outfit motoring once again if he is given time.
Van Bronckhorst is under intense pressure going into the Group A encounter with the section leaders in the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium here tomorrow evening and is well aware that another heavy and humiliating reverse will lead to fresh demands for him to be replaced.
His side have lost to Ajax, Napoli and Liverpool twice in their outings to date and are in very real danger of recording the worst group stage record of any team in the 30 year history of Europe’s premier club competition in the coming days.
The Dutch coach is missing several key players through injury at the moment – including no fewer than three centre backs – and his side are still just four points behind Celtic in the cinch Premiership table as well as being in the Premier Sports Cup semi-final.
However, the man who lead the Glasgow giants through to the Europa League final in Seville back in May can ill afford another slip-up.
Spalletti is no stranger to the vitriol and abuse which those in his profession can be subjected to – Napoli fans unfurled a banner which read “We Give You Back Your Fiat Panda If You Leave” outside their stadium back in May after pinching his dinky city runabout – and has shown that managers can turn bad situations around.
He felt that Van Bronckhorst’s charges gave his on-form men a tough game in Govan last month until James Sands was red carded in the second-half and is anticipating a difficult evening as Gli Azzurri bid to make history and rack up a record 12th consecutive victory.
“Recently, I have been paying attention to Rangers’ matches,” he said. “I honestly see good things. My colleague, their manager, is a very solid manager. He often comes up with very good solutions. For example, at the end of the first-half with Liverpool the score was 1-1 and they also created many good opportunities to score.
“It is a mistake to think they are an easy team. We won’t think that. We will give our best otherwise it would mean not having the winning DNA. We have never been seriously challenged by the opponents, but we must not dwell on what we have done.”
There is certainly no chance of Spalletti fielding a weaker starting line-up because Napoli have already qualified for the knockout rounds – he wants his team to finish first in Group A and be seeded in the last 16 draw next month.
“In all competitions you have to put your best foot forward,” he said. “The difficulty is to repeat things every time, put in all the qualities you need. You have to go hard.
“Winning tomorrow then could prove fundamental because it would allow us to go into the game with Liverpool (they take on their English rivals against at Anfield next week) with 15 points and it would allow us to use the goal difference in our favour. So a win against Rangers would be fundamental for the last game.
“It’s true we’re in several competitions, but it’s important to be first for our fans. We have a duty to try to be first in everything we do to represent our fans. We are happy with what we are doing.”
Giovanni Simeone, the Argentinian striker who is being tipped to earn a call up to his national squad for the Qatar 2022 finals next month after scoring four goals in his last seven appearances for Napoli, is also expecting a tough outing against Rangers despite the visitors’ underwhelming form of late.
The son of Atletico Madrid manager Diego also felt that James Tavernier and his team mates gave them a good game before Sands was red carded in Govan and is not taking a fifth consecutive triumph for granted.
“Rangers are really aggressive and physical,” he said. “The first time we faced them in the group was one of our most challenging fixtures so far this season. We’ll need to be really alert as to what they have to offer and adapt to however they approach the game.
“We need to show what we’re capable of in every game and keep up our good run. Players need to be ready for action, whether they start a game or play for just a few minutes. I’ll give my all for the team and the coach, as I have done since I joined the club.”
