The former Sampdoria boss is all-praise for the Blues and expecting a tough ride against Andre Villas Boas’s side
http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Chelsea-c38786.
The Partenopei outfit was drawn against Andre Villas Boas’s men for the last-16 round of the UEFA Champions League. Napoli finished second behind Bayern Munich in Group A, while Chelsea topped their respective group.
The Azzurri have qualified for the competition for the first time in 21-years and Mazzarri is desperate to make it to the semi-finals. The tactician admitted that his side has been presented with a tough draw against one of the
top teams in Europe. The former Sampdoria boss believes that despite a slow start to the season, the Blues have rediscovered their lost form and they have some champion players at their disposal.
While talking to the reporters, Mazzarri said, “Chelsea are one of the strongest sides in Europe. After a period of crisis, they are rediscovering their continuity thanks to champions such as http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Didier-Drogba-c11044.”
The 50-year-old hailed Chelsea’s 2-1 win over Manchester City recently and believes that it was a great performance from the Blues against a side which has been scoring goal at will this season.
Mazzarri admitted that his team is at a disadvantage of playing the first-leg at home because qualification will be decided in the contest at Stamford Bridge. The former defender has urged his players to be perfectionists and believes
that there is no room for any mistake.
“They beat Manchester City in their last game, a side who are dominating the Premier League, so that must mean something. The first game between us is at home, therefore the tie at Stamford Bridge will decide qualification. If
we want to make it through then we’ll have to be perfect.” added the tactician
The Azzurri have prioritized the Champions League over rest of the competitions and their participation in Europe has taken a toll on their league performances. They are currently placed 5th in the league standings and
drift the league leaders Juventus by 9 nine points.
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