Luciano Spalletti has refuted suggestions Napoli's Scudetto triumph is a mere "formality", ruling out the prospect of the Partenopei focusing on their Champions League campaign.
Napoli suffered just their second defeat of the Serie A season against Lazio last time out, though they still boast a 15-point lead over Inter at the summit ahead of Saturday's meeting with Atalanta.
With Napoli's first league title since the Diego Maradona era appearing to be on the horizon, some have suggested Spalletti could manage his squad ahead of Wednesday's Champions League meeting with Eintracht Frankfurt.
Napoli hold a 2-0 lead at the midway point of that last-16 tie, but Spalletti says his team are not in any position to prioritise future games.
"We always talk about future matches, I've already said many times that it doesn't work like that for us. We face them one at a time and the focus is all on the match against Atalanta," he said.
"We don't have the presumption of being able to manage a championship as if it were a formality or an obstacle to other more important matches.
"The obstacle is only Atalanta for now and they are very strong for many reasons. It is a huge challenge, you have to deserve the final result to bring it home, they are a great team."
With several potential challengers having dropped away, Spalletti was asked when the title could realistically be secured, but he remains uninterested in such talk.
"It will be possible when there isn't another team in a position to take as many points as us. Guys, we still have to play many even games," he said.
"We have seen what quality there is in Italy despite what they say in the European comparisons, this says a lot about the difficulties of bringing home the results.
"Against Lazio we didn't do anything wrong to lose to them, but we found ourselves without any points.
"I watch the matches, I have them reviewed, and I'm sure there is no need to have a reaction because the performance was there in an important way, but we were facing another team that did important things and took advantage of a moment in their favour."
Napoli are looking to improve on their poor home record against Atalanta, having only won one of their last four league games against Gian Piero Gasperini's side in Naples (D1 L2).
Having suffered a 3-2 defeat in this fixture last season, Napoli could lose consecutive home games against Atalanta for just the second time in Serie A, having previously done so in 1997.
Atletico and Sociedad reach agreement over Le Normand transfer
Atletico Madrid have "reached an agreement" with Real Sociedad over the signing of Robin Le Normand.
The Spain defender, who was part of the side that won Euro 2024, will finalise his move to Atleti "in the coming days" for a fee believed to be in the region of €34.5million.
French-born Le Normand started his career with Brest before spending eight years with Txuri-Urdin, for whom he made 221 senior appearances across all competitions, while winning the 2019-20 Copa del Rey.
The 27-year-old is fresh from international success in Germany, where he played in six of Spain's seven matches, while he also helped La Roja win the Nations League last year.
A statement on Atletico's official website read: "Atletico and Sociedad have reached an agreement for the transfer of Le Normand. The deal will be finalised in the coming days when the player returns from his holiday.
Meanwhile, Sociedad wrote on X: "We'll always remember his dedication and gratitude to the colours that have shaped him into the player he is today. Good luck."
Guardiola 'cannot imagine' Man City's Premier League success without Ederson
Pep Guardiola believes Manchester City's Premier League dominance in recent seasons would not have been possible without Ederson.
The Brazil goalkeeper's future at the Etihad Stadium is uncertain, amid speculation linking him with a move to Saudi Arabia.
Ederson has been an integral figure for City since his arrival from Benfica in 2017, with 112 clean sheets in 250 Premier League appearances under Guardiola, while recording a save percentage of 68.17.
The 30-year-old conceded just 26 goals last season as the Citizens won an unprecedented fourth successive Premier League title - and their sixth since he joined the club.
Ederson's distribution has also been crucial to City's success, notably completing 942 of his 1,097 passes last term (85.87%).
"I wish from the bottom of my heart Eddie will continue with us," Guardiola said. "I would love him to stay.
"I cannot imagine our processes succeeding these last seasons without him. He is an important figure in the locker room."
Ederson could feature for City on Saturday when they continue their pre-season tour of the United States against Paulo Fonseca's Milan at the Yankee Stadium.
Ten Hag targets further transfers as Man Utd prioritise squad depth
Erik ten Hag wants more transfer activity ahead of his third season in charge of Manchester United, saying the Red Devils must work to replicate their rivals' strength in depth.
Ten Hag signed a new contract after overseeing United's FA Cup final victory over Manchester City in May, having previously been expected to depart.
Ahead of their first full season under the Jim Ratcliffe regime, United have spent an estimated £88million to acquire forward Joshua Zirkzee from Bologna and centre-back Leny Yoro from Lille.
But after United suffered more injuries causing a player to miss at least one match (45) than any other Premier League team last term, Ten Hag believes more is required.
"I want the squad as strong as possible," Ten Hag told reporters at a press conference ahead of Saturday's friendly versus Arsenal.
"We already made two very good buys, so when everyone is fit we have a team that can beat everyone.
"But also in squad depth, we have to catch up. We know that because when we had injuries, we were vulnerable, and we have to avoid this.
"First, by picking up fewer injuries. And second, our squad has to be that good in depth.
"Of course, we have the quality, but in the depth we have to catch up even more, because this will be a season that is survival of the fittest.
"We proved we can beat the best team. Not just once, we did it twice. Our challenge is to do it consistently, that's what we have to work for."
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