Napoli were so close to winning the Serie A last season, and hopes are high that they can replicate that success in 2018/19.
The Partenopei led the league for the most part in 2017/18, winning their opening eight fixtures en route to a 14-match unbeaten run. They maintained their spectacular form up until the final three months of the competition when they started to feel the exhaustion of the gruelling campaign.
Napoli eventually collapsed and fell short, finishing second with 91 points—four behind Juventus.
Now, with a new and proven coach at the helm, the Naples-based club will aim to repeat their title challenge. Nonetheless, doing so is easier said than done with Juventus adding Cristiano Ronaldo and rivals like AS Roma and AC Milan improving their respective squads.
Key Strengths
Napoli have a solid starting unit, one of the reasons they finished in the top three in both offence and defence this past season. They scored 77 goals and conceded just 29, which were both third in the league.
Dries Mertens, Lorenzo Insigne, Jose Callejon and Marek Hamsik are the key cogs that keep the Napoli engine running, and they are all expected to lead the team once again.
Mertens top-scored the Partenopei last season with 18 league goals, while Callejon finished second with 10. Insigne and Hamsik were also pivotal, often seen as the providers to their teammates.
With such a top-heavy frontline, Napoli are anticipated to light up the Italian top flight and keep up with the likes of Lazio and Juventus when it comes to scoring.
Carlo Ancelotti’s arrival should also be a game-changer for the team. The former Bayern Munich boss is a proven campaigner in Italy, having won the Serie A, Coppa Italia and Italian Super Cup during his tenure with AC Milan.
Ancelotti is also an established winner and is one of the most successful coaches in Europe. He is the only manager to win the championship in four of Europe’s top five leagues, and that winning mentality from a coach could be what Napoli need to finally get out of the shadow of Juve.
Major Weaknesses and Concerns
Napoli were featured and mentioned in plenty of Serie A 2018 news in recent weeks, but for the wrong reasons.
The club lost plenty of key players this summer transfer window, with Jorginho following former Napoli boss Maurizio Sarri to Chelsea and Pepe Reina moving to AC Milan via free transfer.
The departure of those two players alone left a huge hole in the depth of a team that isn’t particularly brimming with talent.
Jorginho is a capable midfielder who can contribute on both ends of the pitch. He was one of Napoli’s most consistent performers and even displayed great vision and passing ability. According to OptaPaolo, he completed the most passes in the 2017/18 Serie A.
That’s difficult to replace for any team!
Then there’s Reina. The 35-year-old kept a total of 22 clean sheets in all competitions last year, but Napoli let him walk away. Although I Ciucciarelli still have time to find suitable replacements, the options aren’t many.
It also remains to be seen how the players will respond to the change in tactics brought by their new manager. Sarri employed a more high-tempo approach, while Ancelotti’s philosophy is more measured and flexible.
Key Players to Watch
Although Mertens led the squad in scoring, Hamsik remains the most important player for Napoli. He is the team’s captain and serves as the focal point where most of their offence runs through. The 31-year-old Slovakia midfielder is the club’s all-time top goalscorer as well, having surpassed Diego Maradona for the record in the past campaign.
The addition of Amadou Diawara, however, could threaten Hamsik’s place in the Starting XI, so it would be interesting to see how Ancelotti will utilise the two.
Napoli’s defence received a blow with the departure of Reina. As a result, the focus will now be on Kalidou Koulibaly and Raul Albiol and if they can keep the backline as rock-solid as it was in previous terms.
Fearless Forecast
Well, first and foremost, I’m not betting on Juventus to lose the Scudetto this year. The Serie A 2018 betting odds at SBOBET are well in their favour, and it’s doubtful if Napoli can match or even come close to their depth and quality.
I think they are capable of finishing second, but their summer has been far from ideal. With that said, I predict they’ll end up playing for third or fourth instead.
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