10 minute read
THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE UGLY
hobbled o with a hamstring problem. The Slovakia international had been bossing the game in midfield before his untimely exit and La Dea smelt blood in the water and eventually ran out 3-2 winners. In the space of a week, Napoli went from title favourites to running out of fit players to put on the field. In a title race – and that is what Serie A appears to have in 2021-22 – every team should expect to be tested to their limits. Napoli will hope they have had their test early, and if they can go into the spring within touching distance of their rivals, they’ll be well-placed to push on. A week 18 meeting with Milan and a week 20 date with Juventus only increased the stakes over the winter months. But Napoli have to remember that the Scudetto is only handed out in May and with both Milan clubs eyeing the trophy, there’s a lot of football to be played. With a full complement of players to choose from, Spalletti’s side are unlike any other in Serie A – devastatingly quick up front, powered by the pace of Osimhen, and nimble and full of guile when the likes of Insigne, Matteo Politano and Dries Mertens have the ball. They’re capable of scoring from range too, as Ruiz and Zielinski have shown regularly, and hard to get past when
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ABOVE: Napoli's Dries Mertens (2-R) celebrates with teammates after scoring the 0-2 goal during the Italian Serie A soccer match US Sassuolo vs S SC Napoli
BOTTOM: Lazio’s Ciro Immobile (L) and Napoli's Kalidou Koulibaly in action
Anguissa and Koulibaly are on the field. Napoli have quietly become one of the best balanced sides in Italy. They’re even a major threat from set pieces – seven of Napoli’s first 34 goals this season came from free-kicks or corners, a significant upgrade from Spalletti’s predecessors and a credit to the incumbent coach. The only non-injury problem at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona is the delay in captain Insigne signing a new contract. The 30-year-old hometown boy is out of contract next summer and, so far, all attempts at agreeing new terms have hit a stumbling block. Insigne’s future may lie away from Naples, but the Scudetto would be an excellent parting gift. Napoli is a club starved of success and still reeling from the death of their all-time greatest player, one that isn’t in the habit of winning trophies and is dealing with injuries to key players and competing with some of Italy’s most powerful clubs. An unbeaten start doesn’t guarantee the title in May but with the spirit of Maradona driving them forward, if Napoli come out of the depths of winter still in contention, there could be celebrations in the streets in a glorious spring.
ABOVE: An away defeat at champions Inter could have hampered Napoli’s title ambitions
BELOW: A week after losing to Inter, Napoli responded by trouncing Lazio on an emotional night, a year after Diego Maradona’s death
TOP RIGHT: Italian football cannot take another failed World Cup qualification
BOTTOM RIGHT: Empoli players
FIVE THINGS WE HOPE TO SEE IN SERIE A IN 2022
1. Firstly, all Serie A fans should be hoping Italy qualify for the World Cup by winning their two playo games in March. Italian football cannot take another failed World Cup qualification, all the hard work of winning Euro 2020 will have been for naught, the benefit dissipated and the national psyche will take another huge hit after the disaster of 2018’s unsuccessful qualification. 2. A title race that goes all the way down to the last round of the season. Only a handful of points have separated first from fourth at the top of the Serie A table for the first half of the campaign. How good would a battle between Inter, Milan, Napoli, and Atalanta be that lasted all the way to May? 3. An Italian team to win a European trophy. A club from the peninsula hasn’t lifted a major piece of silverware since Jose Mourinho’s Inter beat Bayern Munich 2-0 in the 2010 Champions League Final. 12 years is too long to wait for one of European football’s great nations. 4. Fiorentina to hold onto Dusan Vlahovic in the January transfer window and mount a serious challenge for a European spot. La Viola have had a good season so far and are threatening at least a Europa League place thanks to top goal scorer Vlahovic, who is said to be wanted by Arsenal. President Rocco Commisso is clearly ambitious and has assembled a decent squad at the Stadio Artemio Franchi – now he needs to keep it together. 5. Teams like Empoli and Sassuolo to keep unearthing and starting young Italian gems such as Davide Frattesi, Giacomo Raspadori, Gianluca Scamacca, Samuele Ricci, Fabiano Parisi, and Andrea Pinamonti. These clubs and the players they produce of the lifeblood of Italian football.
THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY – SERIE A, WRITTEN BY STEPHEN KASIEWICZ SCUDETTO CONTENDERS
THE GOOD
Years of Juventus dominance left Serie A resembling a monotonous one-horse race but for the first time in a decade there is fierce competition for the Scudetto. Milan, Inter, Napoli and Atalanta led the way at the top of the Serie A standings, and were separated by just a handful of points in the winter months. Juve sat seven points adrift of the leading pack as a revitalized Inter surged back into contention and Atalanta's daring and dazzling approach continued to yield positive results. Napoli and Milan were pegged back after accelerating ahead, both losing their unbeaten records in the process. It was a frenetic opening half of the campaign to be sure. The Partenopei unveiled a statue of club legend Diego Maradona in the stadium which bears his name and produced a wondrous performance in his honour, demolishing Lazio 4-0 in late November. Dries Mertens scored two memorable goals as Napoli – wearing specially made shirts bearing an image of El Pibe de Oro – produced a scintillating display without talismanic forward Victor Osimhen. The Nigerian was ruled out for three months after sustaining a serious facial injury following an aerial collision with Inter's Milan Skriniar. Injury also deprived Napoli of inspirational central defender Kalidou Koulibaly who will be on the sidelines until early 2022 with a thigh strain. Milan edged out in front at the top but also su ered a potentially seasondefining injury as Danish defender Simon Kjaer underwent ACL surgery on his knee and was unlikely to play again this term. Inter had lagged behind but blazed back into contention, defeating Napoli 3-2 in a classic at the San Siro and sweeping past Roma 3-0 with a ruthlessly e cient display at the Stadio Olimpico. Atalanta continued to keep pace with the leaders and showed characteristic resilience at Napoli, recovering from a goal down to prevail 3-2 in a thrilling back and forth encounter which showed the absolute best of Serie A. There is no clear favourite for the title, and this in itself is an overwhelming positive in a campaign already filled with a cornucopia of exhilarating games and outstanding goals.
STORY LINES
SHOT AFTER SHOT
Inter took 15 shots against Cagliari. They have never attempted more shots since 2004.
TRANSFER COMPLETED
Napoli defender Kostas Manolas has completed his transfer to Olympiacos for a reported €2.5m plus bonuses. The 30-yearold had arrived from Roma in 2019 for €36m, but never really made his mark there or gelled fully with Kalidou Koulibaly.
CAN'T BEAT BARCA
Napoli have only played Barcelona twice in European competitions. They lost on both occasions.
Italy's glorious European Championship victory seemed like a distant memory as the Azzurri inexplicably failed to automatically qualify for next year's World Cup. The same group of players who clinched a memorable win on penalties against England at Wembley in July now have the invidious task of negotiating through the play-o s to reach Qatar 2022. Roberto Mancini's side were matched at their own game as a youthful, vibrant Switzerland pinned Italy back and broke with verve and pace on the transition in a 1-1 stalemate on a dramatic November night at the Olympic Stadium in Rome. Silvan Widmer finished o a rapid break in style to send the Swiss ahead early on and although Giovanni Di Lorenzo headed to level, the main talking point was Jorginho's woeful late penalty miss. The once-dependable Chelsea midfielder abandoned his stutter step trademark spotkick technique to blast aimlessly high over the bar. There was even worse to come for the Azzurri. Italy lacked inspiration and penetration as a pugnacious Northern Ireland defended admirably in a goalless draw which visibly angered Mancini. Windsor Park will not hold fond memories for Euro 2020 hero Gianluigi Donnarumma as the goalkeeper made a late howler, racing from his penalty area and completely missing the ball before captain Leonardo Bonucci bailed him out with a goal-line clearance. Deprived of prolific Lazio forward Ciro Immobile through injury – although the attacker rarely produces the same club form for his country – Mancini opted to play without a recognised striker in Belfast. Lethargic and devoid of the same drive which produced outstanding results in the Euros, the search for a centre forward remains a conundrum ahead of a March play-o against North Macedonia with Portugal or Turkey awaiting the winners. Sassuolo striker Gianluca Scamacca, 22, put himself into the picture with spectacular goals against Milan and Napoli, and Brazilian-born Cagliari forward Joao Pedro had even been touted for a call-up after starting the season strongly.
FAR LEFT (OPPOSITE PAGE): Napoli’s Piotr Zielinski celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the Italian Serie A soccer match between FC Inter and SSC Napoli
RIGHT (OPPOSITE PAGE): Lautaro Martinez and inter celebrate against Napoli
ABOVE: Italy players react during the begining of a World Cup Qualifying Match against Switzerland
RIGHT: Roberto Mancini speaks to his team during a practice
FAR RIGHT: Roberto Mancini looks on during an International World Cup Qualifying match
JUVENTUS VS. SPAIN
Juventus and Villarreal have been drawn together in the Champions League Round of 16. It is the first time the teams will ever meet in a European club competition. Juventus have played 66 matches against Spanish oppositions : 25 wins, 16 draws and 25 defeats.
SARRI STAYS FOR ANOTHER TWO YEARS
Lazio President Claudio Lotito announces Maurizio Sarri will sign a two-year contract extension, but players admit they are still not doing what the coach wants.
