Juventus disliking us is a compliment, says Mazzarri

Jan 13, 2013 10:45:00 AM

The Napoli boss has insisted that Claudio Marchisio's distaste for his club should be taken as a compliment as it shows that the Bianconeri take them seriously as rivals

Walter Mazzarri has suggested that Juventus midfielder Claudio Marchisio paid Napoli a big compliment after publicly revealing his dislike for the club.

The Italy international revealed this week that he is extra-motivated to beat the Partenopei due to his antipathy towards the San Paolo club.

Bianconeri coach Antonio Conte claimed that Napoli should take the player's comments as a sign that they feared by big clubs, a view which Mazzarri shares.

"In our environment, everyone wants to win," the 51-year-old Italian was quoted by La Gazzetta dello Sport.

"Marchisio gave us a nice compliment because those in this world who are nice are not considered a threat by anyone. As a result, the match against Palermo is an opportunity to demonstrate that we really are 'dislikeable'."

As Napoli prepare to face Serie A strugglers Palermo, Mazzarri warned his troops that they must be at their best to beat the Sicilians.

"The match [against Palermo] is a dangerous one," the former Sampdoria boss added.

"We saw what happened with Bologna [who beat Napoli 3-2 at the San Paolo in December]. These are games where you need to get it right.

"We need to play against Palermo like we did against Roma because the Rosanero have less points than they deserve. I hope they play a little worse than usual."

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