Napoli

A New Direction for Napoli

Neil — Tue, 21 May 2013 23:35:10 +0000

After 3.5 seasons, the Walter Mazzarri era is over. When Mazzarri took over, Napoli were a top 10 club who had an outside shot at sneaking into Europe, as they had done via the Intertoto Cup after an 8th place finish in 2007-08. With Mazzarri the club reached Europe every single season, the Europa League in seasons 1 and 3 and the Champions League in seasons 2 and 4. Napoli’s finishes of 6th, 3rd, 5th, and 2nd validated the slow but gradual growth that De Laurentiis had envisioned when the club was promoted back to Serie A. The club also won its 1st trophy since 1990 with a 2-0 Coppa Italia triumph over Juventus. So if you judge a manager by results, Mazzarri got results for Napoli, plain and simple. But by his own admission he rarely stays more than 3 years at a club, and a divorce was always in the cards whether sooner or later. So now what direction does Napoli go in? Can the new manager replicate the success Mazzarri had? Some speculation after the jump.

Before we get into possible managers — all whose last names begin with the letter ‘M’ — it’s worth considering what kind of club De Laurentiis wants. Because it’s really his club most of all. Sure, the manager, the players, and the fans are all important. But no one person is more important than the club, unless it’s the person who writes the paychecks. De Laurentiis might be seen as a bit impulsive and a showman, but deep down he’s smart and has been brilliant since buying the club back in 2004. He’s very much into the Financial Fair Play rules, so don’t expect a huge transfer kitty to appear overnight. And with a limited budget, at least compared to Europe’s top teams, he has to grow players. Buy them young, develop them, and either you will have the core of a good team (such as Dortmund) or be financially healthy after selling players for whatever reason (see the Lavezzi situation.) So if you can attract good young players, and then increase their market value, you’re into a win-win situation for a club of Napoli’s size. Note that many smaller clubs would have to sell players (see Udinese) but the likes of Dortmund and hopefully Napoli have a bit more infrastructure to work with.

So Napoli’s next manager will ideally be someone who wants a young, up tempo team who can punch above their weight while Napoli is establishing themselves as a perennial force in the long run. Here are the candidates:

1) Vincenzo Montella: the favourite among Napoli fans, and probably De Laurentiis as well. And he does have a clause that will allow him to leave Fiorentina for a Champions League team. But I doubt that Montella will abandon the Viola after one very successful season. He’s basically rebuilt Fiorentina into his own team – look how many new acquisitions he made last winter – and even the lure of hometown club Napoli won’t be enough. Next season he will balance Serie A and Europa League while experiencing less pressure than he would at Napoli. Can’t blame him if he wants to continue growing as a manager at Fiorentina. But I’d still love to have him at Napoli.

2) Rafa Benitez Maudes: the bookmaker’s favourite. Has a good track record at big clubs, even if he doesn’t unite a dressing room as well as Mazzarri (i.e some players don’t like him.) Guided Valencia to two La Liga titles about a decade ago, and reached two Champions League finals with Liverpool and domestically earned an FA Cup and an EPL 2nd place finish. Struggled at Inter as a follow-up to Mourinho before guiding Chelsea to a Europa League title as interim manager. Has always played a back four, and has a preference for a 4-2-3-1. Will mix veterans with younger players, and although he tinkers with the lineup quite a bit he has a knack for selecting the best team in big matches. Not my first choice, but an understandable one. Only concern is his time at Inter: he never settled in his only major job in Italy, and will have to succeed early at Napoli to avoid a similar path.

3) Roberto Martinez: stylistically this is the manager Napoli are looking for. He’s young, favours a direct, fast paced game, and somehow led Wigan to an FA Cup and a relegation in the same year while enhancing his reputation. He made a name for himself at Swansea, and has a way of charming everyone: fans, media, and owners. He’ll give young players a chance and will probably be more popular with players than Benitez. Only concern is he has never managed a big team. Swansea and Wigan are not the biggest British clubs, and Benitez represents a more experienced option with less risk.

4) Roberto Mancini – he’s only on here because his last name starts with ‘M’. I don’t want him, as he’s proven time and time again to be arrogant and he consistently underachieves in the Champions League. He did well at Inter, and although he was sacked from City an FA Cup and an EPL title is very respectable. An outside chance.

5) Rolando Maran – like Montella he has carte blanche at Catania after guiding the Sicilians to their best ever points total in the club’s history. He is probably better off staying there, as he is even more inexperienced in the manager’s chair than Roberto Martinez. Even a smaller chance than Mancini.

So that’s a very quick rundown on Napoli’s situation. Expect De Laurentiis to announce a new manager shortly, as the longer the search goes on the more it will hurt Napoli as they prepare for next season. I’m guessing it will be one of Benitez or Martinez, and the more logical choice would be Benitez as he has the pedigree that Napoli is looking for plus a little experience at a big Serie A club. Even though Benitez isn’t my first choice, it shows that Napoli has grown since the days of Reja and Donadoni trying to lift the team into the Europa League. And we will always have Mazzarri to thank for leaving the club better off than when he got here.

Champions League Again!

Neil — Tue, 07 May 2013 04:54:52 +0000

After a one year absence Napoli has returned to the Champions League. It’s a much deserved return: the Partenopei have been the 2nd best team in Serie A, and need just one more win against Bologna, Siena, or Roma to guarantee a 2nd place finish. I am now officially pro Mazzarri, as the team is playing its best calcio at the end of the year which is what you need to compete for the very top places. Sure, the Europa League and Coppa Italia were sacrificed along the way, but it will be worth it next season when we see the team play against the best European clubs. This forum has been very critical of Mazzarri at times, and I’ve often been the one leading the way. But a 2nd place finish is the best this team can achieve right now, and it’s Mazzarri who has the ragazzi playing up to the the fullest potential.

So where does this leave Napoli for next season? It’s almost impossible to suggest now that there is a better manager to take over the project. Napoli have finished in the Champions League spots in 2 of Mazzarri’s 3 complete seasons in charge. In his first partial season he brought the team up to 6th from about 11th or 12th, and that is no small achievement.

If Napoli are hoping to compete on three fronts again next season certain areas need to be strengthened. But Mazzarri has a solid foundation in place with the current group of players. I really think Champions League qualification will be decisive in Cavani staying. In fact, I can’t imagine any starter wanting to play elsewhere except Campagnaro who already knows where he will play next season. So it will probably be the same titolarissimi returning next year, with maybe one or two changes. Let’s hope the manager returns as well.

Napoli vs. Inter

Neil — Sun, 05 May 2013 13:50:12 +0000

Roma’s win over Fiorentina gave Napoli’s Champions League hopes a big boost: the Viola can get a maximum of 9 points the rest of the way, which would give them 70 for the season. Napoli currently have 69 and a win over Inter would guarantee a top 3 finish. But there is still a big difference between 2nd and 3rd: the 3rd place team will have a qualifying round before they can enter the group stages of the Champions League. It doesn’t seem like a big deal, but Napoli’s record in two game aggregate contests in Europe the last three years has been 0-3 with losses to Villarreal, Chelsea, and Viktoria Plzen. Napoli does well in the group stages of each competition, but can’t get past the first hurdle after that.

Inter have about 13 players injured, which could be 14 if you already consider Campagnaro an Inter player. The Argentine is Napoli’s only absentee and will likely be replaced by Gamberini for a 2nd straight week.

De Sanctis – Gamberini, Canna, Britos – Maggio, Behrami, Dzemaili, Zuniga – Hamsik – Pandev, Cavani

It’s staggering how physically healthy Napoli has been the last two seasons compared with other Serie A teams. Somehow Napoli are able to compete on the physical front without getting their players injured. I don’t know how Mazzarri manages this but it goes a long way to making Napoli consistently strong from week to week.

In my dream Friday night Napoli beat Inter and suddenly a 2nd place finish was very much a reality..

Pescara vs. Napoli

Neil — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 13:17:28 +0000

Pescara has fallen down to last place and while they’re not mathematically relegated yet, they are basically preparing for life in Serie B next season. The welcome Napoli with a depleted roster: Gaetano d’Agostino, Per Koldrup, Vladimir Weiss, and Juan Quintero are all missing. Those aren’t exactly household names in the soccer world but it represents some of Pescara’s best talent. In fact, Hamsik’s countryman Weiss is tied for the team lead in goals with…. 4? Unless I’ve done some bad research nobody on Pescara has scored more than 4 goals this season. The other 4 goal man on Pescara is the Swedish U-21 winger Mervan Celik. Even without the banned Cavani, Napoli are still fielding 5 players with 5 goals or more: Hamsik, Dzemaili, Inler, Pandev, and Insigne. On paper, this one is a bit of a mismatch.

Rock n Roll Behrami also sits out a one game suspension with Cavani. Inler and Insigne step into the starting lineup:

De Sanctis – Campagnaro, Canna, Britos – Maggio, Inler, Dzemaili, Zuniga – Hamsik – Pandev, Insigne

A win here and Napoli have almost assured themselves of at least a 3rd place finish. Napoli currently lead 4th place Fiorentina by 8 points with 5 rounds left, and three more points would mean at least 8 points with 4 rounds left.

Forza Azzurri!

Napoli vs. Cagliari

Neil — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 17:09:20 +0000

De Sanctis and Campagnaro out? Could be worse: Cagliari are missing Daniele Conti and Mauricio Pinilla. The Romanista Conti traditionally plays great games against Napoli, while the Chilean striker is one of Cagliari’s hottest players. No doubt Cagliari is one of the in-form teams in the league right now, but take out two of their starters and like most provincial clubs depth is not one of their strongest points. Still, Cagliari are unbeaten in 5 matches and have some impressive victories in that span: 3-1 over Samp, 2-1 over Fiorentina, and 2-0 over Inter. But all of those wins came at home, while their last road win was 2-0 over last placed Pescara back in February. Once again, everything is in place for a routine Napoli home win. But the Partenopei like to succeed the difficult way much of the time.

Napoli has two straightforward replacements: Rosati for De Sanctis, and Gamberini for Campagnaro.

Rosati – Gamberini, Canna, Britos – Maggio, Behrami, Dzemaili, Zuniga – Hamsik – Pandev, Cavani

Cagliari has three forwards to choose from: leading scorer Marco Sau who has 11 goals this campagin, the Brazilian Thiago Ribeiro, and Victor Ibarbo. If Sau doesn’t start, look for him to come on at some point, possibly in the 2nd half when Napoli’s defence is no longer at full energy. In midfield look for Nainggolan to anchor with Dessena and Ekdal. A 4th midfielder should be Cossu or Matias Cabrera in the trequartista role.

Agazzi – Perico, Ariaudo, Astori, Murra – Dessena, Nainggolan, Ekdal – Cabrera – Ibarbo, Thiago Ribeiro

Last season Napoli won this fixture 6-3 — we all remember Larrivey’s 3 headed goals which made the score much closer and exposed a flaw in Napoli’s defence. This one won’t be another blowout, but Napoli beat Cagliari 1-0 in the andata and should be able to secure another win at home.

AC Milan vs. Napoli

Neil — Sun, 14 Apr 2013 13:33:26 +0000

It’s often said that Napoli fans expect too much of the team, but all I’m hoping for here is a draw that would keep the 4 point gap between 2nd and 3rd. Having said that, it can be dangerous to play for a draw. This one is an interesting tactical matchup – Milan play 4-3-3, a formation that has given Napoli lots of trouble in the past. The two wingers, which will probably be El Sharaawy and Niang, can stretch the outside defenders, in Napoli’s case Campagnaro and Britos. The other option is keeping the wingbacks deeper but then you’re basically playing a 5-3-2 which makes it difficult for Maggio and Zuniga to get involved in the offensive side of the game.

Napoli has a full lineup again. It’s one of Mazzarri’s biggest strengths that he can reduce injuries and suspensions so that on most matchdays there are 10 or 11 titolarissimi available.

De Sanctis – Campagnaro, Canna, Britos – Maggio, Behrami, Dzemaili, Zuniga – Hamsik – Pandev, Cavani

Much is being made of Balotelli’s absence, but Milan played half a season without him and have another outstanding centre forward in Pazzini. Nevertheless, part of me is glad the big Italian is suspended and won’t play any part in this one.

Enjoy the match, as this one should be Champions League quality. And at the end of the day, Napoli is still in 2nd place.

Napoli vs. Genoa

Neil — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 17:48:03 +0000

It’s hard to believe it, but Genoa are in serious danger of going down. In fact, if not for Siena’s 6 point penalty the Grifone would be in the relegation zone and 5 points back of Siena. Instead, it’s the Tuscan side in the last relegation spot, but only 1 point behind Genoa. The numbers points to a routine Napoli win. Genoa have won only twice on the road this season, while Napoli have lost only once at home. Last season this fixture ended 6-1 for Napoli. And Napoli has no real injury problems, with Campagnaro and De Sanctis returning after picking up knocks on international duty. The only concern is Behrami who is a diffidato ahead of the showdown with AC Milan next week.

The more I think about it, the more the 5-3 win over Torino could be Napoli’s match of the season. In less than 10 minutes they went from 2-1 ahead to 3-2 down, but just six minutes after falling behind Cavani’s free kick gave Napoli the lead once more. Even more interesting is the error Britos made on Torino’s 3rd goal. It was shockingly similar to the error Aronica made in the andata game at the San Paolo earlier in the season. It could have been deja vu, but instead the team executed a picture perfect comeback, complete with insurance goal. If Napoli gets hot down the stretch, the Torino win, which came away from home, could be the catalyst for a Champions League spot.

De Sanctis – Campagnaro, Canna, Gamberini – Maggio, Inler, Dzemaili, Zuniga – Hamsik – Pandev, Cavani

I have no idea which players Genoa will play. They have a massive roster, and if you look at some of the names – Sebastien Frey, Marco Borriello, Mattia Cassani, Juraj Kucka, Juan Manuel Vargas, Ciro Immobile – they should not be in a relegation battle. Their defence is certainly experienced with Daniele Portanova, Emiliano Moretti, and Cesare Bovo available for selection.

Possible Genoa lineup: Frey – Granqvist, Portanova, Moretti – Cassani, Kucka, Matuzalem, Vargas, Antonelli – Boriello and someone else up front.

Prediction: Napoli wins, holding on to 2nd spot ahead of the showdown with AC Milan. Napoli 3 – Genoa 1

Torino vs. Napoli

Neil — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 16:51:08 +0000

De Sanctis – Campagnaro, Canna, Gamberini – Maggio, Inler, Behrami, Zuniga – Hamsik – Pandev, Cavani
We all remember the first meeting this season between the teams. Napoli was on course for a 1-0 win until Aronica, who had entered the game as a sub just minutes earlier, gave Torinto a breakaway with a blind pass back to De Sanctis. This time I would be happy as long as the game isn’t given away like that.

Season Reflections

Neil — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 23:18:36 +0000

With an international break interrupting Serie A, I thought I’d offer some reflections on the season so far. It’s not yet over, but enough has happened that we can look at the bigger picture a little bit. Thus far Napoli has competed in 3 competitions: Serie A, Europa League, and Coppa Italia. Only one of these, Serie A, can be considered a success. More after the jump.

Serie A is easy to analyze thus far: Napoli has been great, and a 2nd place finish would be an ideal season for most fans. There is one caution though: nobody would suggest Napoli is playing their best calcio of the season right now. On the other hand, teams like Milan and Fiorentina are winning with regularity and most neutrals have AC Milan surging past Napoli to end the season. So it has been great for the first 2/3, but the conlcusion might change the verdict a little.

The Coppa Italia is also easy to analyze; Napoli lost at the first hurdle, at home, to a team in the bottom half of the standings. (I believe Bologna was about 15th or 16th at the time.) This is disappointing. Sure, the game was close and went into extra time but Napoli should really be winning these matches, especially as defending champions.

The Europa League is more difficult to analyze. It can be split into two parts: the group stage, and the elimination round. The group stage was pretty neutral. Yes, Napoli qualified for the next round. But they looked sick in both games against PSV and one against Dnipro. Their 3 wins came thanks to the combination of Edinson Cavani scoring a bag of goals and feasting on the group minnows in Swedish side AIK. Napoli simply met basic expectations by finishing runners up in the group.

The elimination round was a disaster. No disrespect to Viktoria Plzen who played two great games, but a 5-0 aggregate score is completely embarrassing. After the 2nd leg in which the humiliation was complete, pictures of Viktoria’s 36 year old captain make the rounds showing a bit of a beer belly. The player in question, Pavel Horvat, wold not be fit enough to make the current Napoli squad. Mazzarri evidently had better athletes to work with and yet the Viktoria players exectued much better.

So the Europa League was disappointing as well. Napoli won 3 matches and lost 5, and the 3 wins were the bare minimum to avoid exiting at the group stage. The goals conceded were alarming as well: in the 6 matches against Dnipro, PSV, and Viktoria, Napoli allowed 16 goals, an average of more than 2.5 goals per game.

In summary, Mazzarri simply hasn’t made a case that he can grow the team. He’s now in his 3rd complete season, and while he does consistently well in Serie A, he has shown that he struggles to balance multiple competitions. In the one season Napoli did well in the cup competitions (Champions League round of 16 and Coppa Italia win) the Serie A form suffered noticeably.

I’m ready for a new project next year, although I’d obviously like to keep Cavani and most of the players. But it’s time for some new tactics: Mazzarri has taken his 3-4-1-2 as far as it will go, and he can keep buying newer and more expensive players but he can only get so far before his tricks are figured out. And with 2 of 3 competitions this year ending in disappointment, he may not have any high cards left to throw on the table. Let’s hope for a strong ending to Serie A or else there will be plenty of changes over the summer.

Napoli vs. Atalanta

Neil — Sun, 17 Mar 2013 02:33:47 +0000

Has it really been 7 matches without a win for Napoli? Serie A has been 4 draws and 1 loss, while Europa League has been 2 losses. True, there have been some difficult games in there, but in the first half of the season Napoli was winning those difficult games. It seems other teams have figured Napoli out, or Napoli has lost their sharpness, or a combination of both. I was going to write that Napoli competed well in all 7 of those games, but then I remember Chievo last week and the two games against Viktoria, and in those 3 losses Napoli has been outscored 7-0. Those are diffciult numbers to look at if you’re a Napoli fan. But just as a precious 2-0 away win at Siena kicked off a good run of from in January, a win at home to Atalanta can turn things around once again.

Some reports indicate that Inler will be left out of the starting lineup. I don’t get it – all he did was score a vital equalizer against the defending champs, which was Napoli’s only goal in recent memory. I really don’t get Mazzarri’s tactical plans. He seems to have something against players with skill. Instead our central midfield could be Behrami and Dzemaili, a pairing which is not going to overwhelm other teams offensively.

De Sanctis – Campagnaro, Canna, Gamberini – Maggio, Behrami, Dzemaili, Zuniga – Hamsik – Pandev, Cavani

At this point a win is more important than an encouraging performance. So let’s hope it’s an ugly win at the very least.