Football

Gattuso: It’s useless to man-mark Messi

Napoli coach, Gennaro Gattuso, has charged his lads to stand up to Barcelona ahead of their meeting in the knockout stage of the UEFA Champions League first leg in Sao Paolo.

The former AC Milan coach, who is also hoping to see a fearless Napoli against the La Liga giant said it’s useless to man-mark Barcelona’s best player, Lionel Messi.
As he prepares to face one of the greatest teams in the tournament, Gattuso said he expects to see a different Napoli and not the usual one that has struggled with home form in the Serie A this season.

Speaking at a press conference, Gattuso, who described Barca as a team with a great squad, admitted that he is yet to do anything with the team in Europe, lauding the effort of the sacked coach, Carlo Ancellotti who took over the manager’s job at Everton.

While noting that the emotions are there, he said that his team needs to produce the kind of performance they gave against Juventus.
Looking forward to tonight’s game against a team that knows how to punish their opponents, Gattuso lauded the side’s coach Quque Setien, adding that since his arrival, Barcelona has continued from where they left off.

Reeling out statistics, Gattuso pointed that Barcelona won the ball back in ten seconds against their opponents under Ernesto Valverde, but did it in six seconds with the current manager.

He added that for this reason, Napoli needs to have a great game in both halves tonight knowing fully well that they have to face Barca’s assault and will be ready to take a lot of risks as well.

While lauding his captain, Lorenzo Insigne, the Italian world cup winner said there is still time for the 28-year-old to improve as a leader by being consistent with what he does by giving his soul to the team with little talking.

Speaking on Messi, he said he’s not only great at a footballing level, but also the greatest on his career pattern, adding that the Argentine is an example for the kids to follow.

Not willing to give away his tactics, the Italian said he is working hard to keep the players motivated for the challenges ahead.

Written by Oladipupo Mojeed

Related Post
Share
Published by
DaFa._.NeWs

Recent Posts

Murray’s 52-Point Explosion Headlines a Night of High-Scoring NBA Action

Jamal Murray delivered one of the season’s most electrifying performances Wednesday night, erupting for 52… Read More

December 5, 2025

Dalot Strike Not Enough as Manchester United Held to Frustrating 1-1 Draw by West Ham

Manchester United missed a valuable chance to climb to fifth in the Premier League table… Read More

December 5, 2025

Giannis Antetokounmpo Exits Early with Calf Strain in Bucks’ Win Over Pistons

Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo suffered a worrying noncontact injury and exited early during Wednesday’s… Read More

December 4, 2025

Arsenal Restore Five-Point Lead with Confident Win Over Brentford

Arsenal strengthened their position at the top of the Premier League with a composed 2–0… Read More

December 4, 2025

South Africa levels ODI series with four-wicket victory over India

South Africa evened the One-Day International series with a four-wicket victory over India in the… Read More

December 4, 2025

FIFA gives Premier League clubs advantage as AFCON draws nearer

In its official statement, FIFA said the revised release date follows the same principle used… Read More

December 4, 2025