Can Napoli win back to back Scudettos or will the dynasty end before it's truly started
Napoli won their first title since the days of Diego Maradona but can they do it again next season?
Hello all. I’m Casey Evans and this is Played on Paper, a pay-to-read football newsletter written by yours truly. If you’re reading this, you’ve either received it in your inbox, had it shared with you or came across it on social media.
If you fall into either of the latter categories and want to subscribe you can do so with the following handy link:
Alright, let’s get into it….
Over the course of the 2022/23 season, Napoli captured the world’s attention and imagination on their way to a historic second Scudetto.
Fans will remember the formidable team Sarri built back in 2017/18 (which I wrote about here), but this current Napoli side has turned the dreams that his team inspired and made them a reality.
Kvicha Kvaratshkelia and Victor Osimhen spearhead the team’s exciting brand of attacking football and they were helped over the line by a supporting cast that included the likes of Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa, Stanislav Lobotka and Kim Min Jae (just to name a few).
And with Luciano Spaletti at the helm there was no reason why this team couldn’t turn a single Scudetto into the next Serie A dynasty spanning the next few years.
However, that was not to be.
After finally crossing the finish line, things have started to fall apart for Napoli and it has left them with a lot more work to do if they are to capitalise on their rivals’ shortcomings.
So that’s what this edition of Played on Paper is going to take a look at - how the wheels have so quickly fallen off for Napoli, and whether in spite of that they still have the momentum to win a Scudetto again next season.
I think that we must start with the departure of Luciano Spaletti - the mastermind behind this Napoli side.
After years of failed attempts, including a record breaking season with Roma where his side finished second place with 82 points (the highest in the clubs history), the 64-year-old finally managed to get the league title he had been chasing his entire career.
Napoli owner Aurelio De Laurentiis was so proud of this achievement and in the midst of the excitement decided to renew Spaletti for a further year without consulting the man himself and this is where things started to go wrong.
Reports began to circulate that Spaletti was unhappy with ADL’s decision and their relationship had quickly fractured. Then it was announced that Spaletti would leave the club and take a sabbatical to spend time with his daughter.
The ship had lost it’s captain.
Whether Spaletti was planning on taking the sabbatical regardless of ADL’s actions is not clear, but it seems the owner’s assumption mudded any chance of the veteran manager being convinced to stay for one more season.
So who have Napoli got to replace the potentially irreplaceable (given the options in the market), well they have returned to the pool of ex-Roma managers and decided on Rudi Garcia.
Now Garcia is not a bad manager by any accounts; his Roma side showed a lot of promise, but I would describe the appointment as ‘underwhelming’.
I can’t remember exactly who said it on Twitter, but they said that Garcia is not a coach that you can see a team winning a title with and I think that’s the best way to sum it up.
Add that his brand of football is much less exciting than Spaletti’s and it just seems like it’s an uninspiring appointment from ADL. Napoli would have been much better served moving for someone like Vincenzo Italiano from Fiorentina; there would have been a greater risk attached but the upside could have been exceptional.
ADL’s antics may have cursed the managerial position, but luckily for Napoli, he might be the main reason that they are not picked apart by Europe’s top clubs this summer.
They will unfortunately lose Kim Min Jae to Bayern Munich due to a low release clause after his imperious performances at the back both in the Serie A and Champions League, but it seems that their valuation of Victor Osimhen at around £150m will ward of the likes of Manchester United and Chelsea who are in the market for a striker this summer.
Midfield metronome Lobotka has also been linked with a move away from Naples as well, with Premier League clubs interested. Saudi Arabia have registered an interest as well (as they seem to be doing with every player).
However, if they don’t build on their success from last season next year, it could be a very different situation next summer.
Cristiano Guintoli, the sporting director who has assembled this powerhouse project, has been heavily linked with a move to Juventus in the near future and this could have a massive knock-on effect. If Napoli were to lose their jewels in the crown, who will be tasked with finding the diamonds in the rough in his stead.
For me, losing Giuntoli would be a bigger disaster than any player. If Spaletti was the face of the project, the 51 year old is the mastermind pulling the strings behind the scenes and making sure that the manager had all the tools he needed to succeed.
You may ask why am I so disappointed that Napoli are stumbling after their historic but unexpected win. Why do I think that Napoli should be doing better to build on their advantage ahead of next season?
Well it’s because their rivals are in turmoil.
Juventus’ financial problems are well documented and their mismanagement resulted in a points deduction this season which saw them finish 7th. Their UEFA Conference League spot could also be at risk as they are yet to receive their punishment from the European governing body.
Factor in that they need to rebuild their squad and are currently shackled to Massimiliano Allegri due a massive contract they can not afford to terminate and I think it will be a while before the Old Lady rises from the ashes.
AC Milan and Internazionale, who won the previous two Scudettos, are in a similar boat.
Both need to overhaul their squads as key players like Olivier Giroud and Marcelo Brozovic respectively, are aging out. Rafael Leao and Lautaro Martinez will help them make the top four but they will struggle to mount a title charge with their current rosters.
Lazio did well to come second last season, but I do not think that they’re squad is strong enough to compete for the title. The same can be said for Roma, who are probably bracing themselves for a third season Jose Mourinho implosion.
Even with their small struggles, Napoli are still best positioned to win the title next season, bar a massive turn around in the next couple of months from these teams, but it feels like they’ve shrunk the margin for error by their own actions.
There are still a few months until the new Serie A season begins and currently it seems like Napoli will be best placed to win a back-to-back title regardless of their problems behind the scenes.
This is the great problem of the Serie A; every time they manage to capture the imagination of the world with their football, they derail themselves due to their own mismanagement.
You would hope that one of Napoli’s rivals manages to get their act together somewhat to mount a challenge, but I doubt it given how entrenched their issues are.
So in answer to the question in the headline, yes, I do think Napoli can win another Scudetto, but I doubt it will be in as exciting a fashion as they did under Spaletti last season.