Spalletti hails Napoli´s hunger after another step towards Serie A crown

Luciano Spalletti lauded the hunger of Napoli to not rest on their sizeable Serie A lead after a 4-0 hammering of Torino on Sunday.

Victor Osimhen’s brace came alongside goals for Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Tanguy Ndombele that sent Napoli 21 points clear at the Serie A summit after a dominant performance in Turin.

Inter could cut that significant advantage when they host Juventus later on Sunday, although the Partenopei are within touching distance of their first Scudetto since 1990.

Spalletti continues to be impressed by Napoli’s fight and refusal to let their march towards the title stall, embodying the hunger and pride of the Partenopei support.

The Napoli coach told DAZN: “It’s the umpteenth time that I go to talk to the boys before a game, having the feeling that there can be satisfaction, and it’s the umpteenth time that they respond by showing they’re made of different stuff.

“They want to be someone who shows what it means to those who wear the Napoli shirt, who is hungry and does not sleep, it is a Neapolitan saying, and it is true.”

Osimhen continued his fine form after taking his tally to 21 league goals this season, equalling Samuel Eto’o’s mark in the 2010-11 campaign as Africa’s top scorer in a single Serie A term.

The Nigeria international joined Edinson Cavani, Gonzalo Higuain and Dries Mertens as the only Napoli players to score 20 or more league goals in a single campaign during Aurelio De Laurentiis’ ownership.

20 – Victor Osimhen has now scored 20 league goals this season, becoming the fourth Napoli’s player in the De Laurentiis era to have scored 20+ goals in a single Serie A campaign, after Cavani, Higuaín and Mertens. Olympus.#SerieA #TorinoNapoli pic.twitter.com/qSJfOFs59t

— OptaPaolo (@OptaPaolo) March 19, 2023

Kvaratskhelia also reached double figures for goals and assists in his maiden campaign in one of Europe’s top-five leagues – Werder Bremen’s Diego was the last to do so in the 2006-07 term.

However, Spalletti insists Napoli are far from reliant on just those two stars.

“On the third goal, Kvara’s backheel and Mathias Olivera’s cross stand out, and Osimhen’s header,” he added.

“But look at what Giovanni Di Lorenzo does: he makes a thirty-metre run for a one-two and carries the ball to the left to allow there to be a wide area in which to develop the action.

“It’s not that Napoli is limited to two players, it is extended to all the members of the team. Di Lorenzo he played a remarkable match, he is a champion.”

Osimhen echoed his coach’s sentiment as Napoli aim to repay their supporters with a long-awaited Scudetto.

“The hopes of the fans are ours too, they have been waiting for a long time,” the striker told DAZN.

“We are happy to be on the right path to win this prestigious trophy, we must continue like this.”