SSC Napoli

[DCGweez]

[RomaShield27]

Can Mazzarri’s rage inspire Napoli to glory?
By Eurosport | Pitchside Europe – 7 hours ago
http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/blogs/pit ... 08395.html

It's half-time at San Paolo. Those standing in the tunnel can hear shouting. Lots of shouting. And it's originating from the home dressing room. Napoli coach Walter Mazzarri is angry. Furious even.

His team had been 2-0 up inside a quarter of an hour against Pescara. Gökhan Inler had found the top corner with a rising shot from outside the box and Marek Hamsik had done well to get his eighth of the season too.

It seemed like Napoli were to enjoy a relaxing Sunday afternoon. Then Pescara pulled one back. Bikir Bjarnason, on loan from Standard Liege, became only the third Icelandic player to score in Serie A, flashing a header beyond Morgan de Sanctis, as the league's bottom club rallied and finished the opening 45 minutes the stronger team.

Commentators said it was the best Pescara they'd seen all season. Is it any wonder Mazzarri lost his temper? He feared his players might be about to let another result slip.

"On other occasions we relaxed too," Mazzarri explained. "We lost four points against Torino and Milan for this reason." Napoli had been in the lead and on course for a win at home in each of those cases only to frustratingly let their opponents back into the game. Mazzarri wasn't prepared to allow it to happen again.

So he laid into his players and, lo and behold, got the reaction he was after. Cavani in particular emerged from the tunnel for the second half like a bat out of hell. He won himself a penalty, turning the Pescara defenders inside-out with a now-you-see-him now-you-don't kind of run into the box. Shortly after scoring his first, he got himself a second, and his tap-in went some way to calming Mazzarri down.

Pescara were under siege, as Napoli attempted 28 shots, the most in a Serie A game this season. Another struck from distance by an inspired Inler - the Man of the Match at the centre of everything with 120 touches of the ball - cracked in off the post and sealed a resounding 5-1 win.

It was like Napoli had turned back time. Not to before Bjarnason's goal when they'd started well, but to the 1980s. Back then Diego Maradona's Napoli made a habit of unloading on Pescara. There was a 6-0 in 1987 and an 8-2 the following year in 1988.

Memories of that period are never far away from the current Napoli team. Reliving it. Emulating its heroes aren't beyond this group of players. Cavani's goals on Sunday were his 82nd and 83rd in two-and-a-half years for Napoli or, to be more precise, 112 appearances.

Were El Matador to see out just another season of the contract he extended in the summer until 2017 then he would be expected to score the 33 goals required to overtake Maradona as the club's all-time top scorer.

"I'll try to reach him," Cavani insisted. "I would like to leave a mark on this city and also write my name in the club's roll of honour."

A coveted Scudetto to add to the Coppa Italia that he helped Napoli win last season would ensure his place in posterity. And, according to Cavani, it's their time. He has felt that way, oddly enough, ever since events in August when Napoli led twice against Juventus in the Italian Super Cup in Beijing only to be reduced to nine men and lose 4-2 in extra-time.

"It might seem strange to you," he told La Gazzetta dello Sport, "but that gave me the definitive certainty that this would be our year. Our start hasn't been bad at all, has it?"

Napoli have more points at this stage of the season than they did when they won the Scudetto in 1987 and in 1990. They are 12 points better off than a year ago too, they lie second and visit an out-of-sorts but third-placed Inter side next weekend hoping to repeat the 3-0 win they achieved on their last trip to San Siro.

A result like that would establish Napoli, if they aren't already, as the so-called "anti-Juve", the anointed challengers. They remain two points behind the champions and are poised for an overtaking manoeuvre should Juventus travel back from Donetsk and then on to Sicily tired and vulnerable enough for Palermo to do Napoli a favour.

There's a real sense that it's now - as in this season - or never for this group of Napoli players if they want to win the Scudetto. Mazzarri is aware of this. After three years in the job, the longest-serving coach in Serie A wants to go all-in.

"This summer I made a decision," Mazzarri revealed. "For the first time, after 12 years [in coaching], I wanted to go into a season with my contract due to expire at the end of it. It's my decision and I wanted to do this for a number of reasons. I will put more spirit into the job right until the end and then we'll see how I feel."

Like Pep Guardiola, he would like a sabbatical. And with some justification if reports are true of a health scare earlier this season — Mazzarri downplayed claims he underwent an angioplasty, saying it was nothing more than a routine heart check-up.

Like Guardiola, he maybe anticipates that the players are no longer as receptive to his ideas as they once were, that they have become complacent and set in their ways, that the team's stars - even if tied down to long contracts - won't be around forever.

By creating the suspicion that the manager is thinking of leaving perhaps they will want to show him they are still up for the challenge, still hungry and willing, if it really has to be this way, to give the manager one last hurrah to ensure he goes out on a high.

Napoli still have a long way to go. Overhauling Juventus - who beat them 2-0 in Turin in October and have only lost twice in Serie A in 18 months - can hardly be considered a cakewalk. Napoli have to sustain their title challenge for longer than they have in recent years.

They ran Milan close for a time in 2010-11 before tailing off towards the end. Last season, they prioritised the Champions League. Now Napoli are wishing Juve might do the same, that they might take their eye off Serie A and get distracted by the bright lights of Europe.
Owner Aurelio De Laurentiis is willing to reinforce the squad should the right opportunities present themselves once the transfer window re-opens this winter to make one last push for the title.

"It will be difficult for Juventus to maintain this pace if they go forward in the Champions League," the movie mogul mused. "This is an open league, a lively season. And we'll go for it right until the end."

James Horncastle will be blogging for us on all matters Serie A throughout the season. He contributes to the Guardian, FourFourTwo, The Blizzard and Champions magazine amongst others.

Follow @JamesHorncastle

[DCGweez]

http://www.vocegiallorossa.it/?action=r ... izia=46577

De Laurentus is going to go crazy.

[DCGweez]

http://www.figc.it/Assets/contentresour ... legato.pdf

[RomaShield27]

Napoli's Cannavaro and Grava banned over match-fixing
/ 18 December 2012 / Last updated at 12:18 GMT

Serie A club Napoli have been docked two points, with defenders Paolo Cannavaro and Gianluca Grava handed six-month bans for match-fixing.

Ex-Napoli goalkeeper Matteo Gianello, 36, has been banned for 39 months for admitting an attempt to fix the Italian club's clash with Sampdoria in 2010.

Cannavaro, 31, and Grava, 35, have been reprimanded for failing to report their knowledge of Gianello's wrongdoing.
The Italian Football Federation also fined the club £57,000.

The points deduction leaves title-chasing Napoli 10 points behind Serie A leaders Juventus and moves them from third down to fifth.

Gianello, who is now a free agent, admitted his attempt to fix the game with Sampdoria at the end of the 2009-10 campaign, which they lost 1-0.

Former Parma defender Cannavaro, who has been at the club since 2006, and Grava, who joined in 2005, had previously denied any involvement.

However, they will both now miss the rest of the campaign unless they decide to appeal and turnover their convictions.

A wide-ranging criminal and sporting probe into illegal betting and match-fixing in Italy has already led to several arrests and bans.

In a separate incident, Juventus manager Antonio Conte was suspended for 10 months for not reporting match-fixing when he was in charge of Siena, then in Serie B, in the 2010-11 season.

[Messinterista]

Napoli, Cannavaro, Grava win appeals

Napoli have had their two-point penalty annulled on appeal in the match-fixing scandal with Paolo Cannavaro and Gianluca Grava also cleared.

The club had been docked two points and fined €70,000 by the Disciplinary Commission, while ex-third choice goalkeeper Matteo Gianello was banned for three years and three months.

He claimed that he had offered a potential fix to Cannavaro and Grava for the Sampdoria-Napoli match in May 2010, but that the pair turned him down point-blank.

The two teammates were banned for six months for failing to report the attempted fix to authorities, but insisted they had never even been approached.

Napoli took their appeal to the Federal Court and this evening the two-point penalty was wiped out, while Cannavaro and Grava have been exonerated. Gianello's ban was reduced to 21 months.

This puts Napoli back into second place, just three points adrift of leaders Juventus and on a par with Lazio.

It also means the two players will be available straight away after a month in the stands. Napoli's fine has been reduced to €50,000.

Source: http://www.football-italia.net/29598/na ... in-appeals

[RomaShield27]

Milano, 07 February 2013 / http://english.gazzetta.it/Football/06- ... 8037.shtml

The Napoli president hopes that the Bianconeri will stay in this season’s Champions League for a long while to come: "Europe could take a lot of energy out of them. Cavani? I’ll do everything in my power to convince him to stay here"

President De Laurentiis, what does hearing the word ‘Scudetto’ make you think of?
"When I took over at Napoli I had a project: the first 5 years would be 5 years of rebuilding, the next 5 years would be the years to win things in. Win exactly what you ask? We’ll see. I do believe I’m ahead of schedule too. And, for someone who knew absolutely nothing about football before, that’s an incredible achievement: Napoli were a long way from success on the international stage then, and no one had ever praised the club for its financial astuteness.”

According to UEFA, Napoli are one of the clubs best placed in terms of the new Financial Fair Play parameters.
"That’s because I stuck to the rules I follow in the film industry: careful attention to spending and costs. That can be done in football too: all you need to do is respect the rules. I accept the rules, even if, at times, they do seem wrong: there are a lot of things that are wrong in football.”

For example?
"The sport is very attention-seeking. Everything is 'over-the-top': other sports aren’t like that. It’s very ‘loud-mouth’, almost ‘idiotic’. Talk is always of non-technical things, such as how much someone earns, how much other things cost. A film is important also for what it represents, not only for takings at the box-office.”

A comparison between Napoli and one of your films?
"Napoli is a successful film. There are films financed by the state that don’t make a single euro at all, films that take money away from other films that complete with each other for success on the market. Unfortunately, there are also football clubs that, due to their mentality, do not complete fairly with everyone else. All this does is create an unbalance in the game.”

You were very outspoken at the European Club Association (ECA): you don’t agreed with the Europa League and maintain that the Champions League can generate three times the earnings. Can it be possible that UEFA are that incompetent?
"If people have to choose between going to watch a Europa League game or a game in a domestic league, people invariably opt for the second option, and football stadia remain half empty. And it has nothing to do with the inadequacy of the stadiums. The San Paolo is obsolete and does need re-modernisation, but last year it generated the 2nd highest gate receipts in Italian football. And if we take a look at TV audience figures, people even prefer to watch the Champions League. If UEFA take in €1.3 billion from the Champions League and €210,000 million from the Europa League, then that means that the competition lacks interest even for the TV companies. What’s the point of keeping it going? Let’s replace it with a Champions League with 64 clubs and where Italy, Germany, France, Spain and England all each have 6 representatives in the competition.”

But that could mean football with rich pickings only for the rich clubs. Football that isn’t supportive of every club: that’s all contrary to what Platini is trying to work towards.
"Platini seems like a decent person to me. But it’s not fair to say that everything he says should be written in stone! I’m critical towards Michel, even though I do respect him, as I want to keep him focused on his duty: he can’t for one minute believe that all of European football has the same needs. He'll have to regulate competitions to allow for clubs who invest more money and who provide more entertainment to balance their books. And, at the same time, allow them to follow the Financial Fair Play Regulations brought in by him, the regulations that everyone is getting so excited about.”

And what would you do?
"Were I Platini, I’d ask all the National Football Federations to reduce their domestic leagues to 16 clubs: that would mean fewer games, free up dates to play in Europe and mean fewer costs for the fans, which they’d then be able to spend on watching the (expanded) Champions League. Then I’d unify the 2nd and 3rd tier domestic leagues, where only youngsters from between the ages of 17-20 would be allowed to play. That would benefit Serie A clubs, as I’d also eliminate the "Primavera" [youth team and reserve team – Ed] leagues. But as long as UEFA continue to sell the TV rights for the Champions League, actually, almost give the TV rights away for very little, rather than appealing directly to the fans, then UEFA will again continue to fail to increase its turnover. And, should China and Brazil really start to invest heavily in football, then it will become extremely difficult to compete with them. It’s the ‘old school’ mentality that has always come out on top: do you want me to give you an example?”

Yes please. Do go ahead.
"Five years ago, when Napoli qualified for European competition again, no one wanted to buy the TV rights for the Intertoto game against Panionios. "They aren’t worth anything! No one is interested in watching this!” is what people were telling me. OK. I therefore decided to take charge of selling the game myself, via a pay-per-view format and at €10 a ticket for private individuals, €99 for (public venues and) bars. The result: more than €1M in takings for Napoli. With the new technology that we have today, we can double the takings via the ‘virtual stadium’”

Let's talk about Serie A again, shall we: are Juve 'in crisis'?
"No. It’s just like what happened to us last season. Domestic league, Champions League and Coppa Italia – that all saps you of vital energy. I do hope that Juve manage to knock Celtic out of the Champions League and progress in the competition as far as possible...”

And the Napoli-Juve game is coming up soon.
"I don’t want to talk about that. I’m superstitious. We have to play the Lazio-Napoli before that anyway! But Napoli and Juve will face each other 3 times in quick succession now: after the Serie A game we play Juventus in the final of the Coppa Italia Primavera, first in Turin, then at the San Paolo. We have a team packed full of players destined for success, such as Insigne Jr., Tutino, Novotny: tickets for that game on March 23 will be on sale at a bargain price so that the stadium will be packed! It’ll be a big day for the youngsters, players I’d like to see be able to see play more games.”

But it's not as if Insigne Snr. get that many games now...
"But a big club needs 4 quality forwards in a squad. Looking at how many minutes individuals play shouldn’t matter. What does matter is that when they are called upon, you can make the difference. Insigne does that all the time. And don’t Juve also rotate their forwards too...? And yet their top of Serie A!”

Wh[b]ile we're on the subject of forwards. Someone has said that were Napoli to receive an offer for Cavani of €60M, then it would almost be a crime not to accept it... [/b]
"And who is going to give me that sort of money...? We turned down €55M in summer. Real Madrid won’t even be able to come up with €50M. And, to actually pay the €63M release clause you really need to make an offer of around €70M...

Sure. But if someone knocks on your door and offers you that much, they will be able to sign Cavani.
"From a legal point of view, yes. I can do absolutely nothing about it. But I can try to convince the player to stay here: anyone who wants to sign him has to meet his personal terms too. But the last thing on my mind is actually selling Cavani: I like him as a player and as a person. He always shows up for training. He’s 100% reliable. The ‘human side’ of things are very important: I always work with the same film directors as I get on well with them...”

Walter Mazzarri, the Napoli coach. Reuters
And is Mazzarri one of these 'directors'?
"He’s an exceptional director and a decent person. He’s someone who must have had a raw deal in life, so that’s why he’s always very guarded and very protective of himself and his players. But, if you dig deep, you discover a completely honest and well-to-do person who is well-versed in football – akin to the knowledge of a Professor at Harvard. He’s perfect for Napoli. When it comes to the film industry, I’m the person who has the ‘big exclusives’: it’s the same with football. All things being equal, that is.”

'A big exclusive' with Maradona? Perhaps on a special day...?
"What he achieved here is a memory of tremendous joy for all Neapolitans. As for everything else, my home is his home: I met his 10 years ago and what immediately hit me was his kindness and his love for his daughters. He doesn’t need my permission to come here. He can do that any time he wants to.”

What's your opinion of referees?
"That’s it difficult to give people the key to happiness. Conte did the right thing apologising (to them) the other day. At times, we put too much pressure of referees. I only wish they’d let the game flow more, as happens in the Champions League. But that’s down to the difference in culture between Collina and Platini. Platini is a prince of football – not of finance.”

And your opinion on illegal betting?
"A year ago I read a book written by a Neapolitan magistrate. It was full of facts and figures, dates and names. Even then, the talk was about Singapore. It’s not as if we’re stalling now, is it? The money that it all generates is some €200 billion a year: gangs of organised criminals have given up on drug dealing and have started to focus instead on illegal betting as there is a massive legal loophole there. We have to intervene immediately. In Italy and in Europe, with tough punishments. Sporting punishments aren’t tough enough. Every single player, every single referee, every single club president simply has to know that a tough spell behind bars awaits him if he gets involved in anything illegal.”

Fabio Licari
© RIPRODUZIONE RISERVATA

[forzaitalia]

Can always bank on this lot to lose (embarrassingly in this case) to some absolute no-hoper at home in Europe. If Mazzari's concentrating on the league he's gonna be disappointed......

[RomaShield27]

How Napoli's Marek Hamsik became Serie A's most prolific goal-maker
Friday 12 April 2013 11:27 / http://fourfourtwo.com/blogs/statszone/ ... maker.aspx?



In the last couple of years, there has been a mass departure of number tens from Serie A. Whereas Wesley Sneijder, Diego, Javier Pastore and Francesco Totti all played as classic playmakers during the 2009/10 season, the first three have departed, with Totti forced to adapt to Zdenak Zeman’s distinctive 4-3-3 formation for much of the campaign.

While Totti has continued to provide great creativity from a left-sided role, Serie A is now more fixated with powerful runners in the playmaking position. Kevin-Prince Boateng’s surprise success with Milan cleared the way for the likes of Michael Bradley (Roma) and Fredy Guarin (Inter) to be used as their side’s most advanced midfielder.

For creativity, Italian clubs now depend more on deep-lying playmakers. Andrea Pirlo has been performing tremendously in that role for over a decade now, while the likes of David Pizarro and Riccardo Montolivo have been amongst Serie A’s most impressive performers this campaign.

So who is Serie A’s most prolific assister? This has been an interesting race this season, contested by four very different types of player. Napoli’s Marek Hamsik is a driving midfielder who often appears more about energy than incision, Totti has spent much of the season out on the left, Antonio Cassano has generally played as a ‘second punta’ – just off the main forward – for Inter, while Fiorentina’s Borja Valero shuttles forward from the left of midfield in a side based around ball retention.

It’s Hamsik who leads the way, collecting an assist in each of Napoli’s last two games – a 5-3 win at Torino, then last weekend’s 2-0 defeat of Genoa. He’s created 13 goals in 2012/13 – three clear of Totti, and four ahead of Cassano and Valero.

Hamsik may not be a natural No.10, but he’s become a more creative player because he’s been fielded more consistently in a central role. Previously, Walter Mazzarri often used Hamsik on the right flank, moving inside into playmaking positions – now, he’s at the heart of the action. He’s matured as a playmaker and has become more reliable in possession, and enjoys seeing plenty of the ball in central positions.

The 5-3 win over Torino demonstrated how often he received short passes inside the centre circle. It also shows that he’s still not an overly incisive player in the final third, but because he receives possession so often in dangerous zones, he eventually finds a clever pass.



Hamsik is also intelligent in the way he spreads play from flank to flank. Napoli’s gameplan for the past few years has been based around speedy wing-backs - by distributing the ball calmly out to Juan Zuniga and Christian Maggio, the Slovakian gets Napoli into crossing situations, before charging into the box himself.



However, while Hamsik was once compared to Frank Lampard because of his ability to break forward from midfield to find the net, he’s found goalscoring tough in recent weeks. Having netted nine in his first 23 Serie A games this season, he’s now gone eight matches without scoring – and also missed a penalty against Torino.

He’s not shying away from taking shots – as his recent performance against Atalanta shows – but it’s the first time in three years that Hamsik has made eight consecutive Serie A starts without finding the net.



Last week’s performance against Napoli was a good example of Hamsik’s current playing style – most of his passes played from deep positions, relatively few in the final third, a couple of unsuccessful longer passes, and an assist for Blerim Dzemaili having made the correct decision on the break. He also repeatedly tried to dribble past opponents, nearly scoring a wondergoal – only the finish let him down.



Hamsik’s game has changed significantly in the past 18 months – whereas he was once about energy and goalscoring, now he’s Serie A’s most prolific provider of assists, but isn’t finding the net himself. If Hamsik can consistently return to the form he showed earlier in the season, when he contributed in both areas, he’ll rightly be regarded as one of Europe’s best attacking midfielders.
Stats Zone is bigger and better than ever! Our FREE Opta-powered app now features the Premiershit, La Liga, Bundesliga, Ligue 1, Serie A, Champions League and Europa League.

[soccergurl1989]

[DCGweez]

http://www.football-italia.net/33493/na ... amiao-deal

Big new if true. Probably means they believe that Cavani is definitely out.

[red]

Very different kind of forward, but probably as good a replacement for Cavani as Napoli could hope to get.

[RomaShield27]

Yeah just seen that, big swoop for Napoli if they manage to pull it off. Hopefully not as a replacement for Cavani but to play alongside him, which would be a formidable partnership (with Hamsik and Insigne in the mix too). Of course im saying that because i hope Cavani doesnt leave Serie A, even though it looks more and more likely that he will.

[red]

The two of them wouldn't really work as a pairing, I don't think.

Damiao is such a pure finisher, who contributes next to nothing beside goals, that the other player really need to be focused on creating rather than being goal scorers, as Cavani is.

[DCGweez]

Irrespective of synergy Napoli couldn't afford to pay the wages and transfer. Cavani is gone.

[red]

In theory they probably could afford to take on someone like Damiao for a season alongside Cavani, but only with the knowledge that they'd be cashing in on Cavani before long.

Anayway, all things point to Cavani leaving Napoli this summer.

[DCGweez]

I suppose that would be an option. Doesn't seem to fit with DeLaur's MO though. Maybe a real push in the CL and the leagues suppose.

[forzaitalia]

Cavani being linked with City again but this time in a cash + Dzeko deal. De Laurentiis was in London yesterday to discuss that move, so he says. (and not Benitez)

[red]

Napoli would have to play quite differently to make that work.

Dzeko ain't someone likely to profit from being in a counter-attacking side the way Cavani did.

[RomaShield27]

http://www.thehardtackle.com/2013/napol ... -a-cavani/
By Guest Author on May 30, 2013 |

SSC Napoli’s season ended in a silver medal – the best league position since winning Serie A in 1990. Despite losing the highly valuable Ezequiel Lavezzi to Paris St. Germain, Napoli rallied strongly in 2012/13 season and were favourites for a top-3 finish for most of the season. It was, as always, a season filled with highs and lows. As the season ended Napoli bid adieu to Walter Mazzarri, the man who was largely responsible for their recent success, replacing him with Europa League winner Rafael Benitez.
Cavani follows El Diego’s footsteps

After winning the championship or the Coppa Italia, having a player taking the title of Capocannoniere is probably the most prestigious achievement for a Serie A club. Napoli hasn’t had the pleasure of seeing one of their players topping the list since the great Diego Maradona scored 15 times in 1988. In fact, Cavani bagged almost twice as many goals, 29, as Maradona did that season. Maradona had eight fewer games to do it, since Serie A had only 16 teams in his days, but El Matador’s feat is still quite impressive.

Brilliant Bigon
A number of Napoli fans were worried as Ezequiel Lavezzi left for PSG last summer. For five years he had been a focal point in Napoli’s attack as he matured more and more as a player. At the same time midfield warrior Walter Gargano left for Inter – also after five years of service. Questions were raised over the club’s ambitions as they let two established stars go.

Time would show, however, that the club was absolutely right in letting people go who wanted out and hiring people with a desire to contribute. Valon Behrami came from Fiorentina and quickly fought his way into the midfield – his limitations as a footballer nullified by his warrior instincts. Gamberini raised the quality and width in the defense, and young Insigne took his role as a back-up as naturally possible for a young player in his first Serie A season. Hamsik and Pandev stepped up as further responsibility was placed on their shoulders.

The ability of coach Walter Mazzarri to get the best out of his players was seasoned with sporting director Bigon’s wise choices in adding quality in depth, notable with the acquisition of Pablo Armero in the winter. Despite some flaws here and there, what looked a weaker squad eventually turned out to be stronger. The direct Champions League place was well deserved.

This was by far the worst defeat of the season. Not only did it come straight after another defeat against Inter, it also happened in a way that highlighted all the weaknesses of Walter Mazzari’s team. On top of that, it cast doubts on the achievability of a Champions League spot.

The home game against Bologna was, on paper, just what Napoli needed to get back on track after a narrow 1-2 loss away against Inter. In the week prior to that, a defeat had been added by PSV Eindhoven in the Europa League. The continental loss didn’t matter much, as Napoli had already progressed from the group stages, but it showed a worrying lack of commitment. The Bologna game should have been the way back into the fray. Instead it became the way further into suffering.

Up 2-1 with a few minutes left the Stadio San Paolo fell silent as Koné blasted in the equalizer with a fabulous volley. Napoli had had several chances to extend their lead, but as so often before, failed to close the game. Now the fans watched in horror and disbelief as a late and hopeful cross slipped past Cannavaro into the head of Portanova who slotted it in for an unlikely away victory. The vulnerability of the Napoli defense was exposed. The worst for the Napoli fans wasn’t how the Bologna players were celebrating, but how big parts of Northern Italy died laughing.

On top of Cavani’s numerous goals came his total commitment to the team and his willingness, not to say outright eagerness, to help out in defense. He had some games in the middle of the season where he looked tired, but as spring came he picked up the pace and carried his team forward. His work with the invigorated Marek Hamsik was a joy to behold, and all Napoli fans will be hoping that they will have the chance to continue in light blue next season.

Valentine’s Day Czech Massacre
This horrible defeat by the hands of a very mediocre Viktoria Plzen showed the world how Italian clubs couldn’t care less about the Europa League even if they pretend otherwise. What was a great chance for the reserves to show their worth ended up being a display of what reserves do when they know deep inside that nobody really cares about what they are doing.

Players like Insigne, Vargas, Fernandez, Mesto, and Rosati could have been, and should have been, fired up. Instead they completely imploded. The reason? It was never a genuine chance for them to gain a first team spot, but rather a filler game in a filler tournament. In the unlikely event of Napoli qualifying for the Europa League final, there was no way that the likes of Cavani, Hamsik, and Maggio wouldn’t have been back in the starting eleven. It looked like a chance for the reserves, but it eventually turned out to be a nightmare for the club.

A Title Clash in Naples – First Of Many?
This game wasn’t a highlight because of the result that sent the Bianconeri closer to Lo Scudetto. It wasn’t a particularly a well-played game either. It’s on this list, because it gave us what is hopefully for Napoli fans, a sneak-peak into the future. An outline of times to come. A genuine title clash at the San Paolo.

The game was highly anticipated as Napoli had been edging closer to Juventus during the month of January. If Napoli won, it would blow the title race wide open with the Southerners challenging for the first time in more than two decades.

The seasons leading up to this one had seen Napoli qualify for the CL and win the Coppa Italia, but never had Aurelio De Laurentiis’ version of Napoli been in the thick end of a Scudetto fight this late in the season. In the end it didn’t last and Juve cruised away towards a second consecutive title, but a seed has been planted. The San Paolo crowd would want this kind of situation to repeat itself in coming seasons. They want more of the respect shown to them by Juventus, Italy’s best team. They want more hard fought clashes between Cavani and Chiellini. They want more recognition from the north. They want this game to be where it started and not where it ended.

The state of Stadio San Paolo
A continuing low for followers of Napoli is the state of the San Paolo. Old, outdated, and at times even dangerous, there a risk that it won’t be approved for European football next year. It’s long overdue to kick-start the process of finding a new home for the light blue heroes and for their fans.

San Paolo was refurbished before the World Cup 1990. It’s nearly 25 years ago and the stadium sadly lacks sponsor facilities and other modern equipment. It’s also far too enormous, despite Napoli’s boisterous home fans, and even crowds of around 50,000 look somewhat small. With lowers seats remaining empty for almost every game the whole stadium looks empty on TV screen. Buying new players is all well and good. Investing in a new, and club owned stadium is much more important as Juventus’ recent success proves. Udinese has also started renovation of their stadium and Internazionale may soon follow suit. Napoli may need to do something similar to make full utilization of their strong local support.

Article written by Thorbjørn Thaarup
Thorbjørn is founder of http://ponderingcalcio.net/