Porto coach Farioli coy on Napoli interest and praises Allegri as ‘one of the greats’
Francesco Farioli wouldn’t rule out coaching Napoli one day, and he praised Massimiliano Allegri as one of the greatest reference points in Italian football ahead of Porto’s Champions League clash with the Partenopei.
With quotes via Calciomercato.com, the Italian coach spoke at his pre-match press conference before Wednesday’s game at the Estádio do Dragão. It kicks off at 21:00 CET [20:00 GMT].
Farioli was asked about reports that Aurelio De Laurentiis had considered him for the Napoli job in the past. “De Laurentiis is a fan of mine? Napoli’s interest in me has expired under the statute of limitations? Well, after the statute of limitations there’s nothing to add… In the future, who knows, we’ll see,” he said.
The 37-year-old has built his career abroad, winning the Portuguese title with Porto last season. He has never coached in Serie A.
Farioli on Napoli, Allegri and Alvini
Allegri is back on the touchline on Wednesday after serving a two-match ban, during which Napoli won 4-1 at Monza and lost 2-0 at Juventus.
“In a game like this it’s difficult to talk about favourites. Napoli have quality even with a few absentees, and they’re a strong, competitive team. But so are we,” Farioli said. “They’ve won two Scudetti in recent years, and we’ll make the most of our chances to put in a good performance. We want to go out with great determination. Napoli are a club that has grown a lot, and under De Laurentiis they’ve been in the Champions League for years.
“Injuries? We tried to work out who their starters might be, and we’ll be ready. But we’ve thought more about our own line-up than theirs. We have our absences too and need the right solutions. It will be a game of chess: every time a piece moves, adjustments have to be made.”
He also defended Napoli’s form. “If you look at the xG, Napoli’s attacking output is high-level. It’s a team that creates a lot, but some results haven’t reflected its performances. That’s happened to us in the Champions League too. That’s football,” he said. “What counts is the performance, and then we know the result is the supreme judge. But you need clarity to analyse and put into context everything that happens.”
Asked whether he felt snubbed by Italian football, Farioli said: “I’ve been lucky to work in many countries, to find clubs that gave me an opportunity six or seven years ago to start out, and others more recently that let me have high-level experiences in Europe. Last year we won, which is important for players and coaches. Rather than assess what I haven’t had yet, I look at my experience so far with great gratitude to those who gave me this opportunity.
“In Italy there are already a lot of new faces, and the experienced coaches are all of great quality and experience, and have given and continue to give a lot to Italian football. There are a thousand examples, like my friend Alvini. We live a few kilometres apart, and even though he arrived in Serie A late, he’s doing really well and surprising everyone. Then there are experienced coaches like Allegri, Tuscan like us, who is one of the greatest reference points in Italian football.”
