Tired Napoli worries Mazzarri

Napoli coach Walter Mazzarri admits he is concerned his team’s Serie A clash against Catania has come at a bad time.

Mazzarri’s men are unbeaten in eight league matches, but are still recovering from their Champions League round-of-16 exit at the hands of Chelsea on March 14.

Napoli are hanging onto fourth with Udinese and Roma in pursuit, and Mazzarri is worried about his team’s mental and physical state ahead of their encounter against Vincenzo Montella’s men on Sunday.

“The game against Catania comes at the end of a terrible cycle for us, with a great waste of physical and nervous energies and this worries me a bit,” Mazzarri said.

“But luckily enough we will have some time to focus on working after it and I’m confident we can do something good in the games that will follow.

“That’s why I say we need the support of our fans as we had against Siena. We need their help from the very first second to the end of the game, hoping to get a good result.”

Catania are on a six-match unbeaten run heading into their trip to Stadio San Paolo, and still have a chance to secure what would be a surprise European place.

Meanwhile, Mazzarri said he was delighted to have been described as a great coach by former Argentina and Napoli legend Diego Maradona.

“I’m very pleased with Maradona’s words, seen what a champion he is and what he represented for our team, it’s a satisfaction and it makes me proud,” Mazzarri said.

“I thank him and I wish I can meet him soon, I wish he’ll come to watch us play soon.

“I would also like to meet him again, when we both were players he was Maradona and I was Mr Nobody, but after so much time I would be pleased to meet him again.”