Are we really 2nd best in Serie A ?

By: Neil | September 29th, 2008

In a word, no. But I’d like to remind Serie A fans of an English soccer saying, “The table never lies.” Only Lazio has started better than us, and we’ve played quality teams like Roma, Fiorentina, Udinese, and Palermo in the first five games. Yet Jose Mourinho admitted that he is not afraid of teams like Lazio, Napoli, and Catania – he is confident because Inter is still ahead of teams like Juve, Milan, and Roma.

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Mourinho does have a point. I watched the Milan derby last night, and from a neutral perspective it was even better than a Champions League game. Both teams showed the kind of skill and tenacity it takes to compete for the Scudetto. Napoli has shown lots of heart, but the richest teams in Serie A all have thoroughbreads at every position. After watching our reserves struggle against Bologna, I’m worried our depth will be a factor, especially if we go on a big UEFA Cup run.

Right now our squad is in good shape to qualify directly for the Europa League next year. However, if we can sustain a Champions League spot until January, De Laurentiis might choose to spend big in order to improve the team. There are always rumours linking us with South Americans – the latest two names were River Plate midfielder Diego Buonanotte and 17 year old Uruguayan striker Abel Hernandez. Napoli has also been linked with unsettled Real Madrid midfielder Royston Drenthe. This kind of speculation is fun to read but the rumours rarely become reality.

It is more likely Napoli will sign a player like Siena’s Daniele Galloppa. Although foreign players can turn out great – see Lavezzi and Gargano – foreigners are a higher risk proposition. If for whatever reason they don’t work out, you can be stuck with a non EU player whose high wages might be a turn off for other teams. If Italians are a bust, it’s an easier problem to solve.

On the injury front, Lavezzi is healing faster than expected and will likely play some part in Thursday’s epic showdown with Benfica. Iezzo’s broken nose will keep him out of the lineup a bit longer, while Bogliacino is still recovering from a broken ankle.

Finally, much respect to Luigi Vitale, who is now being scouted by Pierluigi Casiraghi for the U-21 Azzurri. I have watched Vitale a lot and you can see him growing into a solid two way player. He’s still young so he’ll continue making some mistakes, but his goal in the first leg against Benfica proved he could be a big game player. The Castellamare di Stabia native has won the starter’s job from Daniele Mannini, and should keep developing.

I’ll be back later with a preview of Napoli’s 2nd leg UEFA Cup showdown in Lisbon.