Rafael Benitez praises Dries Mertens

Napoli manager Rafael Benitez has praised Dries Mertens and his team's tactical astuteness following their 2-1 away victory over Marseille in the Champions League.

Napoli eased past the French side thanks to goals from Jose Callejon and Duvan Zapata, with Andre Ayew grabbing a consolation for the home side late on.

"I am satisfied because we won, but it seems easy for me to choose a player like Dries Mertens when he works so hard in training," Benitez told Sky Sport Italia.

"We're at 75% now. The players sacrificed themselves and worked hard all over the pitch. We know that when we work all together, we can achieve something.

"My staff worked well to analyse the opposition and everyone knew the tactical plan. I think that is the key, as if you prepare it on the whiteboard and the players follow those instructions, they know where to be and what to do."

Napoli are currently second in Serie A on 19 points, just behind Roma who stand as league leaders.