Aurelio De Laurentiis demands focus from Napoli players

Napoli are sliding more and more out of form lately, with three straight road losses and no truly convincing performances in a month. As Napoli enter a stretch of their schedule that includes two knockout tie second legs and vital matches against Roma and Fiorentina, it's critical that things get back on track as soon as possible.

No one realizes that more than club owner Aurelio De Laurentiis, who decided it was time to speak to his players before this morning's training session. His speech included demands for focus and professionalism for the rest of the season as well as telling the team that he's confident that they have what it takes to achieve the season's goals despite recent setbacks.

With Napoli competing on three fronts, focus and determination are an absolute must right now. Napoli can't afford any more slips if they want to win a second straight Coppa Italia, push for a Europa League title, and finish in second place in the league. They have the ability to pull this off, the question now is whether or not they can get the positive breaks needed for such an accomplishment.

Of course, the looming departure of manager Rafa Benitez could prove to be a very large distraction from what needs to be done. Hopefully the squad can rally around to overcome that potential difficulty, but it'd be hard to blame them if they can't.