Napoli has been one of, if not the most exciting find of club football this season. They are standing first in SERIE A and have a massive edge to advance to the quarterfinals of the Champions League. They topped the group stage and humiliated teams like Liverpool and Ajax. Everyone is talking about Napoli’s miracle run.
What makes this team so much fun to watch?
Squad rebuild
After the summer transfer market closed, most football fanatics expected Napoli to step down from SERIE A and Champions League contention with the departures of key players in all four levels of the pitch. Captain Kalidou Koulibaly, one of the most hunted center-backs at the time, left for Chelsea. Midfield maestro Fabian Ruiz also left for PSG. Long-time club legends Dries Mertens and Lorenzo Insigne also departed on free transfers. Polish striker Arkadiusz Milik was one of the other notable departures. All these players are over 30 years old or have passed their primes.
But they wisely used the money from those departures to rejuvenate the squad. Younger and more talented attackers like Giovanne Simeone and Giacomo Raspadori have been vital contributors to their success this season. They brought in Frank Anguissa to replace Fabian Ruiz in the midfield and Kim Min-Jae to fill the gaps left by Koulibaly. All are younger options and fit Luciano Spalletti’s tactics.
But the most notable changes in the trajectory of the squad involve two names: Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Victor Osimhen. Kvaratskhelia, or ‘Kvaradona’ as the Napoli fans called him, was an unknown player coming into the season. But he broke out onto the scenes after electrifying performances in the Champions League and SERIE A. And Osimhen is the beneficiary of those magnificent showcases, scoring goal after goal to become SERIE A’s top goalscorer.
Luciano Spalletti’s masterclass
Taking over Napoli in 2021, when they were a middle-of-the-pack team in the Champions League, he orchestrated a major turnaround for this once legendary side. He let club legends and older players go to haul in a group of willful young men. The depth of the squad he has built allows him to substitute without losing his high-motor offensive game.
Spalletti loves an offensive 4-3-3 but moves to a 4-1-4-1 for better-pressing positions on defense. He prioritizes tight proxemics and short passes from the backline to the front. The players always stay in groups of three to four. A key player to this tactic is Stanislav Lobotka, who plays the lowest in the midfield to bring the ball upfield and direct the tempo.
Spalletti loves using Kvaratskhelia’s showstopping dribbling to create chances on the left and Lozano – Di Lorenzo’s tight connection on the right. And Victor Osimhen is a monster who can finish every type of ball that comes his way with his strength and size. The Nigerian striker has scored 20 in all stages this season and is hungry for more.
Napoli Season outlook
They will likely advance to the quarterfinals after being two-up against reigning UEFA Europa League Champion Eintracht Frankfurt. And they are also playing the second leg at home, with Frankfurt missing top striker Randal Kolo Muani due to suspension.
But anything can happen in the Champions League, and they must keep their ultimate focus on the competition. But if they manage to go further, they will be a formidable team to beat with a chameleon-like offense and a rock-solid defense. I believe they have a legitimate chance to win the tournament.
In the SERIE A campaign, they are 15 points clear of second place and on their way to their first in 23 years.
Finally, Napoli has found its place again since the Maradona days…
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