Serie A: Napoli are dreaming big after a flying start to the season

Napoli has had a flying start to the 2021-22 Serie A campaign under new boss Luciano Spalletti. The Blues have won all of their opening four league games scoring 10 goals and conceding just two. Latest win being the 4-0 thrashing of Udinese at Friuli on Tuesday. Napoli fans are now dreaming big again, like the hay days when Diego Maradona’s heroics led them to the Scudetto title in 1987 and 1990. That was the last time Napoli had won the Scudetto title. Now under Spalletti, they seem to be having a similar kind of champion mindset. 

So far, Napoli’s performances have been dominating and very professional. The defence is pretty much organized and solid, the midfielders are hardworking, allowing the frontmen to play their natural game.

After Gennaro Gattuso’s departure, club president Aurelio De Laurentiis brought in Spalletti out of nowhere. The 62-year-old was not very active in the footballing circuit for two years after his failed stint with Inter Milan. Therefore few eyebrows were raised during his appointment but he has answered his critics very well so far. Spalletti’s side is challenging for the top spot with the giants of Italian football Inter Milan and AC Milan. If they could continue this good form for a longer period of time they are well on course for an elusive league title after 30 years.

Spalletti paid tribute to the city’s fans after his side beat Udinese on Monday, saying: “This love that the fans give us can be an important aid, it has already happened a few times but the important thing is to follow this up. 

“The history of Napoli says that this team can win something important. Our reference is not the other teams (in the league) but the history of Napoli and what happened in the past, to play great matches and win great titles. 

“Napoli have won the Scudetto in the past, it is clear that the teams that are in the standings with us are strong teams. I would put even one more in because I saw Fiorentina make an excellent start to the championship, so it will be very difficult.” The last time Napoli topped the table was in 2017-18 season that saw them finish second in the table, four points behind champions Juventus.

Perfectly balanced team

Spalletti has deployed a 4-2-3-1 formation which isn’t very common in Italian football. David Ospina is the ever reliant gloveman who is doing a fantastic job. The two centre-back’s Amir Rrahmani and Kalidou Koulibaly are big and strong and use their physical prowess effectively not only in the defensive department but also during set pieces at the other end. Both of them netted against Udinese and Koulibaly scored an 85th minute winner against Juventus.

Meanwhile, the two wing-backs Giovanni Di Lorenzo and Mario Rui are different kinds of players. Right-back Lorenzo is someone who likes to get forward quite often whereas Rui is very good with his long balls down the left side. As seen during the match against Udinese, it was Rui’s overhead ball that led to the opening goal.

Elif Elmas and Andre Zambo Anguissa are the two holding midfielders who do all the dirty work of breaking down the opposition play and pulling the strings from the middle. Meanwhile, Fabian Ruiz is given a free role behind the main striker Victor Osimhen. The wingers Lorenzo Insigne and Matteo Politano, are not the typical wingers who go wide and deliver crosses, rather both of them like to cut inside from their respective wings. Insigne is known for his ability to cut inside from the left and curl the ball in with his right foot whereas Politano is known for his left-footed long ranger’s and he is also a set piece expert.

22-year-old Nigerian forward Osimhen is rumoured to be the next big thing in Italian football. He joined Napoli from Lille last season and scored 10 goals in his debut Serie A season. The youngster has continued his good form this season and already has three goals to his name. His double against Leicester City in the Europa League fixture helped Napoli to a 2-2 draw.