Serie A Preview: Napoli

[Piola]

2007-08: Where it Ended

Napoli ended Serie A in 8th position last season, qualifying for the Intertoto Cup. However, among calcio fans it is very hard to find a consensus on whether this was a success or failure. They toiled in midtable most of the season before making it up to 8th place.

Edy Reja was constantly under the threat of being sacked last season, despite his squad just being promoted from Serie B. Some consider the club’s position a success, while other think that Napoli should have made it into a UEFA Cup spot further up the table.

Much talk has surrounded Napoli transfer guru Pierpaolo Marino, who brought in several players that contributed heavily to their success, despite not costing much. Marino brought in players like Ezequiel Lavezzi and Marek Hamsik, who quickly earned the love of the Napoli tifosi as they made their climb up the table.

A major concern of I Partonopei last season was the difference between their home and away form. At the Stadio Sao Paolo they were certainly a force to be reckoned with collecting 11 wins, 4 draws, and 4 losses. While away from home their record was a disappointing 3 wins, 4 draws, and 12 losses. The discrepancy between watching a Napoli home game and seeing Napoli on the road was almost indescribable, as if it was two different teams.

In the end, Napoli decided to keep Mr. Reja as coach and let him continue the project he was building.

Summer Activity

There was quite minimal summer activity for Napoli compared to most other Serie A clubs as Marino looked to work some of his magic again by finding some diamonds in the rough, while the club off-loaded several of their less used players as they looked to improve on last season.

If potential is anything to go by, then Napoli have made some great acquisitions during the off-season once again. First of all they picked up one of the Serie A revelations from last year, Sampdoria right-back Christian Maggio. The former Fiorentina man had a spectacular season last year, tirelessly running up and down the right flank while scoring 9 goals. No one is quite sure how he was not chosen for Marcello Lippi’s National Team squad for the friendly against Austria this past Wednesday. If he continues the stunning performances he had last season then Napoli fans and management will be extremely pleased. Another defensive signing was Leandro Rinaudo, brought in to shore up a backline which conceded 53 goals last season (the second highest amount in the top half of the table).

At the other end of the field the Azzurri brought in 20 year-old Andrea Russotto, who has been noted as a great future prospect and the “closest thing” that Italy currently have to Roberto Baggio, according to World Soccer Magazine. Also a new centre forward was picked up by the southern Italians in the shape of Argentine German Gustavo Denis from Independiente. He had an enviable scoring record in his homeland, scoring 37 goals in 69 appearances and will hope he can adopt a similar record in Serie A.

The club relieved themselves of a host of players that had little playing time for them last season. Only veteran Argentine Roberto Carlos Sosa (now at Gimnasia La Plata) and 24-year-old Austrian Gryorgy Garics (on loan to Atalanta) played any type of regular role for the club, being rotated in and out of the squad throughout the previous campaign.

A major achievement during this summer was that the club played in (and won) the Intertoto Cup tournament, thus qualifying for the UEFA Cup this season.

Analysis & Prognosis

The expectations for Napoli and especially Reja are even higher this year, with sections of the media and even some Napoli players, like Captain Paolo Cannavaro and new recruit Denis, suggesting the club can finish in the top 4 of Serie A and qualify for next season’s Champions League.

Napoli certainly look to be moving in the direction of improvement, bringing in three players who are likely to be starters and one young-gun who has the potential to be a great player in the future. The team’s performances will rely heavily on the new recruits of Maggio, Denis, and Rinaudo, as well as the creative talents of Lavezzi and Hamsik as they did last season.

In order to improve on 8th place the club will also have to significantly improve its away form. Some positive results will be needed all-around the peninsula if Napoli want to show they are getting ready to take on some of the world’s larger clubs in the near future. Playing in the UEFA Cup will also help the club acclimatise to the European stage and give their players invaluable experience.

Another area that sticks out is the goalkeeping department, Gennaro Iezzo certainly is not close to the worst keeper in Serie A, but one feels Napoli could have found someone a little more consistent to cover their goal posts.

The best case scenario would be that Napoli come flying out of the traps and grab a good start to the season. A top four finish and a good UEFA Cup run would certainly light up the city’s football fanatics once again, but Napoli may not be deep enough to achieve something of that nature yet. The club are not as strong as Inter, Juventus, Milan, or Roma, and perhaps even a step behind Fiorentina. That is why a great start to the Serie A season would be vital, as that would put them in front of any of the bigger clubs who start more slowly (like Milan did last season).

A more realistic assessment of the club’s capabilities is that they will qualify directly for the UEFA Cup (finishing between 5th and 7th in the league), and not the Champions League. While the dream may be Champions League football, the target should be a fifth place finish in Serie A and a deep UEFA Cup run. Although the team has a fairly formidable starting XI, they do not have the depth required to deal with injuries, absences, or poor form that some of the other teams in Serie A do.

In any case, you can expect a further improvement from Napoli in Serie A and maybe even a few good results against some tougher opposition. Also expect a UEFA Cup run, but not deep enough to make it to the final. The quarters or semis would be a great result for a club that is clearly on the rise.

Coach: Edoardo Reja

Stadium: Sao Paolo (78,210)

2007/08 Position: 8th

2007/08 Record: P-38 W-14 D-8 L-16 GF-50 GA-53 Pts-50

Players In: Rinaudo (Palermo), Maggio (Sampdoria), Denis (Independiente), Russotto (Bellinzona)

Players Out: Sosa (Gimnasia La Plata), Rullo (Triestina), Calaio' (Siena), Garics (Atalanta), Bucchi (Ascoli), Maldonado (Gimnasia La Plata)

Possible Line-Up: Iezzo - Santacroce, Cannavaro, Rinaudo – Maggio, Blasi, Hamsik, Gargano, Mannini - Lavezzi, Denis

Adam Scime

[Napoli_Sempre]

While away from home their record was a disappointing 3 wins, 4 draws, and 12 losses

Thats because half the the time the tifosi weren't allowed in other stadiums

[Blue Mastiff]

Lets look at the Napoli equation

1. they need to replicate their home form which was excellent last season
2. hamsik & lavezzi will need to be as influential as last season. teams have now had a good look at these 2 players and am sure any coach with tactical sense would be able to combat any difficulties they encounter.
3. zalayeta scored some very important goals first half of the season. denis will need to step up and at the very least equal his first half of the season.
4. we took maximum points vs inter, milan, udinese, fiorentina, juventus, sampdoria. thats 18 points we need to replicate at home!!!!
5. our defence has improved 10-fold and feel that we are better equipped with our fullbacks than inprevious campaigns.
6. our away form will improve. we had a dreadful season last away from home.
7. the key will be picking up maximum points against the lesser sides of the competition and not being afraid to score goals away from home.

POSITION AT THE END OF THE SEASON: 8TH and there will be suprise packets......Bologna?

Ive got my tickets for Juve(a) / Lazio(h) / Reggina(a) / Milan (h) for next year while finishing in London for the Fulham vs Liverpool clash.

Bring it On Muhtafukcer!!!!!!!

[Blue Mastiff]

its a classico

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KoPgy8ZY ... re=related

[Napoli_Sempre]

its a classico

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KoPgy8ZY ... re=related

hahahah funny as

[Translator]

enjoyed this more

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVOrFhbc ... re=related

[Piola]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctZkjF3yJqg

totti the fag, bucchin'

[goftttor]

bump up then lurk

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A dignified southern gentleman came up and said, "Ma'am, you should be ashamed of yourself, letting your skirt blow around, like that, while you stand there holding your hat on."
"Look," she said, "everything under the dress is seventy years old, the hat is brand new!"
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