Luke Bissett: A third Scudetto awaits Luciano Spalletti’s electrifying Napoli

EXPECTATIONS in Naples were few and far between ahead of the 2022-23 campaign. The Serie A side faltered to a third-place finish in the dying embers of last season, after being in the midst of a title fight for the majority. Meanwhile, an eventful summer transfer window had seen the Serie A side lose several key players. Defensive stalwart Kalidou Koulibaly, club captain Lorenzo Insigne and Napoli’s all-time leading goalscorer Dries Mertens all departed the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona for pastures new.

Yet Luciano Spalletti’s side have blown all preconceptions regarding their title credentials this season out of the water – sitting 15 points clear of second-placed Inter at the top of the Serie A table. The Partenopei also have one foot in the Champions League quarter-finals after downing Europa League champions Eintracht Frankfurt in the first leg of their Round of 16 tie midweek. Napoli have been in scintillating form since minute one of 2022-23, breezing past Hellas Verona 5-2 in their opening game of the Serie A campaign. Spalletti’s side have continued the season in much the same vein, avoiding defeat in their opening 15 league matches prior to the World Cup break.

Meanwhile, qualification from their Champions League group looked set to be no easy feat at the start of the season after being drawn alongside Liverpool, Ajax and Rangers in Group A. Yet the Partenopei set the tone on MD1, dismantling last year’s finalists Liverpool 4-1 – equalling the Reds’ joint-heaviest defeat in Champions League history. The Italian outfit won their first five matches in the UCL group stage, including a 6-1 thrashing of Ajax in Amsterdam on MD3. Napoli fell to a 2-0 defeat against Liverpool on the final matchday of the group stage in a non-consequential clash where both sides had already sealed qualification to the knockout stages. It marked just the second time that Napoli had finished top of a Champions League group, while no side in 2022-23 scored more goals than the Azzurri in the group stages (20).

Spalletti’s side have proven that their early season form was no fluke, as they have raced away in their quest for a first Scudetto in 33 years. Napoli have picked up more points than any other side in Europe’s ‘big five’ leagues after 23 matches (62), while they have been superb both offensively and defensively – despite losing the backbone of their side in the summer. The Partenopei have scored more goals (56) and conceded fewer goals (15) than any other side in Serie A this season. Summer acquisition Min-Jae Kim has seamlessly slotted into the role vacated by Koulibaly in the heart of the Napoli defence, with the side keeping five clean sheets in their last six matches across all competitions.

20 goals in 24 apps and he’s not even a penalty box fox. He’s an all rounder.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Victor Osimhen 🇳🇬

pic.twitter.com/ER7aEReHc5

— Rahman osman (@iamrahmanosman) February 22, 2023

Yet it is the vibrant attack at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona which has captivated audiences around the globe – spearheaded by the dynamic duo of Victor Osimhen and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. Osimhen has shouldered the goalscoring burden with ease, sauntering clear in the race for the  Capocannoniere. The striker has netted 18 goals in Serie A this term – five more than any other player. In fact, only Erling Haaland (26) has notched more goals than the Nigeria international in the ‘big five’ European Leagues across 2022-23. Osimhen’s remarkable goalscoring return also doesn’t factor in the fact that he was forced to miss a chunk of the season due to injury. Since his return from the sidelines in October, Osimhen has scored in 12 of Napoli’s 14 league matches – including a terrific brace in the 5-1 thrashing of Juventus last month.

Meanwhile Osimhen’s attacking counterpart, Kvaratskhelia, has been the revelation of the season on the continent this term. Signed from Georgian side Dinamo Batumi in the summer, the 22-year-old has captured the imaginations of the adorning Napoli fans – earning the affectionate nickname ‘Kvaradona’. Largely an unknown quantity upon his arrival in the south of Italy, Kvaratskhelia has taken Serie A by storm. The Georgia international has scored 12 goals and provided 13 assists in all competitions this season, while he is one of only six players across Europe’s ‘big five’ leagues to have done so. Kvaratskhelia has become one of the most sought-after players in Europe, and his demand will only rise if he is able to lead Napoli to their third-ever Serie A title.

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is wanted by Newcastle. I can’t think of any teams that wouldn’t want him!

That kid will be world class. pic.twitter.com/MUaunJrbFy

— George Randles (@georgerandles) December 16, 2022

Spalletti’s side have remarkably lost just one league game this season. Furthermore, only two sides have ever won more points than Napoli’s tally of 62 at this stage of a campaign, with Inter (2006-07) and Juventus (2018-19) both amassing 63 points after their opening 23 games. A surprise Coppa Italia elimination to Cremonese has allowed the Partenopei to concentrate entirely on the Scudetto and reaching the latter stages of the Champions League. The 15-point gap at the summit of the Serie A table between Napoli and Inter after 23 games is the largest ever recorded in the three points for a win era. It appears to be a mammoth challenge for any side to lay a glove upon the Azzurri before the end of the season, with all of their title rivals continuing to remain inconsistent.

Napoli’s 2-0 victory away to Eintracht Frankfurt in the Champions League Round of 16 first leg on Wednesday night should see them qualify for the quarter-finals of the competition for the first time in their history. Europe’s elite have been forced to sit up and take notice after witnessing first-hand what Spalletti’s side are capable of both domestically and in the Champions League.

One of the most dangerous offensive outfits in Europe, Napoli fear no foe as they continue to hurtle towards silverware.