Napoli coach Luciano Spalletti has told his players no-one expects a late title challenge.

Napoli meet Udinese on Saturday.

Spalletti said: “Udinese are a smart club, they pick the right players for their targets. They are dangerous on counterattacks and have quality in three-four players. We need balance and attention. They defend deep, trying to recover the ball close to the opponents' box. It would be a problem to lose the ball there.

“We need to give something more at home; we must find the solutions inside ourselves, enthusiasm and love from fans are always positive.

“All my players are professionals, they wake up every morning to improve. That's how it works in modern football. I've seen exemplary commitment and desire to improve.

“We feel the enthusiasm, love gives positive feelings, we have nine more games to play as protagonists to give joy to our fans."

He added: “There are important teams up there, I don't know if our enthusiasm will be enough to win, as there are other strong teams. We are a little behind, but we must live this situation confidently with our fans.

“Everyone is fully committed, it's my fault if Faouzi Ghoulam doesn't play, but he keeps giving advice to his teammates. Lorenzo Insigne has been training really well. He always puts in full commitment. We can't play with the handbrake on, but play modern football, with cross-field passes, late runs and one vs. one…"