It began last winter. Napoli announced that captain and native son Lorenzo Insigne had signed for Toronto FC and would leave at the end of the 2021-2022 season. The Azzurri finished third in Serie A, returning to the Champions League group stage after two years away.
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Between clinching a spot in Europe’s most prestigious tournament and a credible title challenge, most believed Napoli would go all-out in the summer, bringing in brand-name attackers, experienced defenders and a world-class goalkeeper. After all, the problem has never been money, not since Aurelio De Laurentiis purchased the club in 2004.
Napoli needed a boost to sustain a run at the scudetto, given the consistent collapses in April that would see them slide down the table. Last season, with the Partenopei playing host to Fiorentina, the visitors knocked them down to third with a 3-2 victory. It was nearly as painful as the 3-0 loss to the Viola in April 2018, when a victory could’ve meant overtaking Juventus at the top of the table. In between, their three away defeats in April 2016 saw Napoli ultimately fall nine points short of the Bianconeri, causing this author (and millions of others) to beg the soccer gods for a victory against Frosinone and a Champions League group stage berth rather than hoping for a third league title.
Speaking of the Champions League, certainly the Napoli management team knew that getting out of the group stage — another bogey for the club — required a star-studded squad. They’ve never progressed past the round of 16, and it’s a part of the tournament they’ve seen just three times. Instead, Napoli fans watched in dismay as Insigne packed his things, Fabian Ruiz clamored for a move (and eventually landed at Paris Saint-Germain), Chelsea finally wooed away Kalidou Koulibaly, and Dries Mertens couldn’t convince his beloved club to let him stay.
One by one, the bright lights of the Maurizio Sarri-era, that time of frenetic fun and hope, flickered out. In their place came names that we’d barely heard: Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Kim Min-Jae, Tanguy Ndombele. Alongside them were players who’d made an impression at lower-level Italian sides: Leo Skiri Ostigard, Giovanni Simeone, Giacomo Raspadori. Solid and dependable players, yes; carrying the potential to be great, absolutely — but not ones who set the pulse racing. Yet what previously looked like a summer of disaster upon disaster has been revised to appear as a triumph of Napoli’s approach to the business of sport.
Red hot in Serie A and leading the table ahead of a visit to defending champions Milan, and 4-1 winners over mighty Liverpool in the Champions League, this new generation of Napoli stars could be the one to lead them to glory.
It’s worth noting that both Kvara and Diego began their careers at the Bentagodi, but the latter came off looking much worse for it. Maradona struggled to do much of anything in his first game in Serie A, a 3-1 loss to the eventual Serie A 1984-85 champions. Kvaratskhelia lit it up against Verona that day and has kept that fire burning across seven matches, scoring four goals and providing two assists — all in just 425 minutes. And in a city known for its dark humor and irreverent approach to life, his celebrations (which also include a sassy “I can’t hear you” ear-cupping directed to Liverpool fans) have charmed supporters.
Naples is a place that demands unquestionable loyalty to its club, his kissing the Napoli badge after scoring a brace in a 4-0 win over Monza has placed him among the few who occupy a demi-god tier just below Maradona’s throne.
The business of nostalgia
To the casual observer, Napoli might seem held in place by a web of nostalgia, devoted to the man who brought them their only two titles. They’ve put Maradona’s face on their kits and named their stadium after him, even comparing every player who shows a modicum of promise in their first outing to him. They make money from his memory and attempt to squeeze out more through the misty marketing of players with potential. But in the summer of 2022, the club’s management ruthlessly cast aside the last of those who had played under Sarri, a squad adored for its thrilling football and near-relentless (though typically unsuccessful) pursuit of trophies.
The four seasons since Sarri’s departure were nothing special, and so cutting all ties to those halcyon days felt akin to severing a still-working limb.
This ruthless rejection of nostalgia is best encapsulated by De Laurentiis’ refusal to allow Mertens to play out one final year in Naples. The Belgian spent nine seasons in the Azzurri shirt and is the club’s top goal scorer, with 148 across all competitions. Mertens loves Naples so much that he speaks Neapolitan, fosters dogs and even christened his son with the nickname given to him by fans, “Ciro.” He wanted to see out his professional career with Napoli, but De Laurentiis held fast, insisting he was asking for too much money for too many years, given he’s now 35.
Just as importantly, particularly when considering that Sarri ran his starting XI into the ground, Raspadori and Simeone already look set to step into the forward slots when needed. Simeone, tears pouring down his cheeks as he saw his childhood dream of scoring in the Champions League fulfilled, netted against Liverpool after coming on for Victor Osimhen. Raspadori, meanwhile, threw kisses to the fans after his 89th-minute match-winner against Spezia took Napoli to the top of the table.
In Italy, the cliche says you can’t be taken seriously unless you go up against Milan, Inter and Juventus and come away with all three points. Never mind that Juve have mustered just two boring wins, or that Inter — tipped for the title before the season started thanks to Romelu Lukaku‘s return — have already lost twice. Napoli won’t come up against those sides until after the World Cup, but with the depth they’ve built (and the fact that only a few players will be headed to Qatar), for once fatigue doesn’t seem like it will be a significant factor. It’s Milan, title holders and even on points with Napoli in the league, that will be that true test calcio watchers are waiting for.
The Rossoneri are up next, but for once it doesn’t feel as though it would be the end of the world if Napoli don’t come away from Milan with a win. For supporters who were afraid to even hope for a Champions League spot next season, the current one has already exceeded expectations. And these seven matches have, if nothing else, shown that Napoli are building something special for the future.
Spalletti, sacked by Inter after two seasons in which he barely managed to squeak the team into fourth and out of coaching for two years, wasn’t exactly a thrilling appointment. But it takes a boatload of confidence for a manager of a Champions League team expected to compete for the title to step up and say that he wants a youthful side. Thus far, he’s been proved right. He’s been able to meld together those who played under him last season and the newcomers in the squad in a way that allows his “young and fun” philosophy to shine.
In 2022, Napoli are a team that, while excellent on the ball and terrific at placing a pass, are not afraid to be direct. They move with purpose and they move fast, disarming defenses and striking again before they’ve even had a chance to reset. This season, Napoli are going for it, and it’s an utter joy to watch … unless you’re a fan of the opposing side.
