In 1987-88, after leading for much of the season, they were rocked by a player rebellion, managed just one point from their final five games and were pipped to the finish by Milan — a course of events that has prompted countless conspiracy theories to this day. And in 2004, after years of mismanagement, red ink and dubious owners (and nearly getting relegated to the third flight), they finally went bankrupt. They were reformed in the third division a year later and thus began a long, patient march back to the top of the tree.
So, yeah, jinxes and curses are real here. They’re baked into the city and the fact that they were so ready to disregard them speaks volumes about the club’s achievements this season. All of which brings us to the other strand of their success: human ingenuity.
Naples as a city often gets stereotyped — and often by folks who have never been — as a byword for chaos, social ills and mismanagement. But the club itself stands in stark contrast. Over the past decade, they have been both successful on the pitch (seven top three finishes, two Coppa Italia victories) and profitable off it, despite recent heavy losses related to the coronavirus pandemic. That’s a stellar achievement, any way you cut it.
This season was supposed to be a transition year. Napoli opted to cut their wage bill by 30% and let arguably their three veteran leaders leave: defensive stalwart Kalidou Koulibaly joined Chelsea, the club’s all-time top goalscorer Dries Mertens went to Galatasaray in Turkey, and native son/club captain Lorenzo Insigne moved to Major League Soccer’s Toronto FC. Without this trio, they relied on young under-the-radar replacements — namely Korean central defender Kim Min-jae, Italian winger Giacomo Raspadori and, of course, Georgian sensation Khvicha Kvaratskhelia — to reorient this team.
You know the story from here. Kvaradona — as some, coming close to blasphemy in this city, have dubbed him — leads Serie A in assists and has contributed 12 goals from wide areas, forming a devastating one-two punch with the masked Nigerian center-forward Victor Osimhen, who has 27 goals in 33 appearances across all competitions. (The mask, in case you’re wondering, is a legacy of a long-forgotten broken jaw; now it’s simply a good-luck charm, which kind of fits the city.)
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Those two grab the headlines, but there are success stories throughout the side. Captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo has emerged as one of the best right-backs in Europe. Kim hasn’t quite made people ask “Kalidou, who?” but he is filling his big shoes. The midfield trio of Stanislav Lobotka (who didn’t start a single game in his first year at the club, two years ago), Piotr Zielinski (a one-time wunderkind only now harnessing his considerable talent on a consistent basis) and Franck Zambo-Anguissa has emerged as one of the best units around.
And how about keeper Alex Meret? In August, many felt he was too insecure, too green and too nice to marshal a back four. Napoli were reportedly in the market for another keeper, only for Meret to prove the doubters wrong.
Here, a ton of credit must go to the man who assembled this squad: sporting director Cristiano Giuntoli, and the man who makes it tick, coach Luciano Spalletti.
Now 64, Spalletti had a reputation as something of a spiky, misunderstood genius — 15 years ago, at Roma, he pioneered the false nine revival and later become a cult figure, winning titles in Russia at Zenit Saint Petersburg — who could be difficult to deal with. Maybe it’s the wisdom of age, but he scarcely put a foot wrong this season, leading Napoli not just to the title but to a stellar Champions League campaign that saw them win 4-1 over Liverpool and 6-1 at Ajax before exiting in the quarterfinals.
This is planning. This is ingenuity. This is professionalism. And this is pragmatism, too — all things few would associate with the club, but all things critical to this success. And, in fact, that last factor — pragmatism — is emblematic.
For much of the season, the club had been at loggerheads with some of their hardcore “ultras” supporters, who provide much of the tifo on matchdays. The dispute centered around ticket prices, the club’s insistence that banners and flags be approved before entering the stadium and the proposed introduction of a “loyalty card.” These ultras are unhappy with what they consider to be the commercialisation of the club and owner Aurelio De Laurentiis’ desire to make a profit.
This tension came to a head when Napoli hosted Milan in the league last month. During the 4-0 defeat, many ultras refused to sing and support the team, even brawling with other fans who insisted on cheering. It made for an ugly, self-destructive atmosphere that seemed absurd to outsiders, especially coming during the club’s biggest season since the Maradona days. This conflict was also overcome with patience, compromise and mutual understanding, resulting in a sort of truce that enabled the city to celebrate the way it did when the title did come. And this was not something to be taken for granted given the egos and stubbornness on both sides (De Laurentiis and the ultras).
Napoli are one of the success stories of 2022-23. More than that, they show how, sometimes, you can in fact, combine oil and water — that is, irrational passion and rational planning, overwhelming love and cool professionalism — in order to achieve great things.
As for their superstitions? Well, it can’t hurt to have Diego smiling down on you from up high, and maybe even pulling a few strings on your behalf.
