Napoli in focus - Champions League lesson proves to be the catalyst for record breaking run
While Naples grew to embrace their fate and prepare to face Madrid, Napoli were still adjusting to the lack of an out-and-out striker as Dries Mertens spectacularly exorcised the false from False Nine with back-to-back hat-tricks against Cagliari and Torino sandwiching solo strikes against Benfica and Fiorentina as the Serie A winter break loomed. Winter was coming; and so was Napoli.
Upon resuming their schedule in early January, Napoli would struggle to wins over Sampdoria in Serie A, a late winner required by debutant Lorenzo Tonelli, and Spezia in the Coppa Italia. The free flowing, free scoring, confident swagger we’ve come to know Napoli for in recent months was, at this stage, nowhere to be seen, albeit there were flashes of brilliance.
By the time the first leg against Real Madrid came around, Napoli had a 2017 record of; Played 8, won 7, drawn 1, and lost none. Confidence was high amongst the support, a 7-1 hammering of Bologna viewed as the perfect exercise to remove any rust from those shooting boots. However, despite this run of form, the old cliché of Napoli being a side able to grab defeat from the jaws of victory still rang true. There was a fragility about Napoli, but in the seething cauldron of the Santiago Bernabeu, Maurizio Sarri’s Napoli was truly born.
After surviving an initial onslaught which could, and arguably should, have seen the home side go ahead, it would be a piece of sharp, incisive, midfield passing that would release Lorenzo Insigne inside the Madrid half; Naples favourite son having been sent clear by the deftest of through balls by Marek Hamsik. Taking the ball in his stride, Insigne spotted Keylor Navas way out of position and, with the most audacious of first time efforts, he curled the ball low and hard into the bottom corner as Navas scrambled across his goal in vain.
8 minutes gone; 1-0 to Napoli, and the roars of the thousands who had travelled to the Spanish capital began to believe. As it turned out, Madrid’s experience took it’s toll as Benzema, Kroos, and a Casemiro volley saw Madrid, in the end, win comfortably by three goals to one. The away goal gave Napoli hope, but in the strangest of ways, Real Madrid had dealt Napoli part one of an invaluable lesson, a clinic in the mentality required to succeed at the highest level.
Before Napoli could think about the return leg, there was the small matter of a Coppa Italia 1st leg with Juventus in Turin which came after a shock 2-0 home loss to Atalanta in Serie A. The events of that night at the J Stadium don’t need repeating, however Napoli’s naivety would again come home to roost as they lost their heads after taking the lead though Jose Maria Callejon; another 1st leg away from home, another 3-1 defeat after going ahead at a difficult venue.
In what was hardly an ideal warm up for a 2nd leg clash with Real Madrid, Napoli travelled to the Olimpico to face Roma, the side who had inflicted Maurizio Sarri’s first ever San Paolo defeat on Napoli earlier in the season. A 2-1 win with two more goals from Dries Mertens and a late wonder save from Pepe Reina set up the spectacle to come just three days later.
Naples expected. Offices, shops, schools; they all shut early to allow anyone and everyone to witness this match. Naples, a city which lives vicariously through the fortunes of SSC Napoli heaved as one with a passion and excitement not seen since the heyday of Maradona himself. The Stadio San Paolo was full hours before kick off, choruses of Un giorno all’improvviso rang around the famous old ground and the fans got to rehearse their now infamous “Champions” roar as the stadium PA tested out the Champions League anthem ahead of kick off and the watching millions around the world. This was a city and a support befitting of a world class football club; they just need the team to deliver.
Again, as in the 1st leg, Napoli would take the lead. Dries Mertens, who else, with the goal as the roof came off the San Paolo. It would be Mertens again, on the stroke of half time, who would come closest to securing the score line which would, at that time, have seen Napoli qualify for the next round; his shot agonisingly coming back off the post.
Naivety, once again, would raise its head as Sergio Ramos scored two headers from consecutive corners in close succession to all but end Napoli’s involvement, with a meaningless Morata goal simply rubbing salt into the already rawly exposed wound. A 6-2 aggregate defeat which, on paper, looks like a meaningless and cruel reward for finally winning a Champions League group. However, in the depths of the San Paolo, something clicked in the minds of the Napoli players, and it would be Jose Maria Callejon who provided inspiration to Napoli’s followers in an interview while on international duty:
“We feel as if we are an important team, but we need to know we are because at times I don’t think we have that mentality. Those on the bench and in the crowd also need to know we are a strong team, we can win something. On the pitch we need to enjoy ourselves, give enjoyment to the crowd and to our team mates.”
After the loss to Real Madrid, Napoli would go unbeaten until the end of the season; a 12 game unbeaten run that included a draw and win over Juventus at the San Paolo as Napoli won 9 and drew 2 of their 11 Serie A matches, taking 29 of 33 available points, scoring 32 goals and conceding 9 as they finished the season 4 points better off than the previous campaign.
Ironically, Napoli would finish 3rd in Serie A despite beating every record laid before them; more points, more goals, more assists, more passes, you name it. The records fell like dominoes, and yet despite all this Napoli finished in 3rd place. Now, fans of rival clubs have often mocked Napoli supporters since the season ended, citing the very fact that all these stats and records mean nothing.
And yet, while we all appreciate that nothing was won, what those out with the Napoli support don’t appreciate is the fans’ recognition of the growth of this team, the emergence of a fluent, attacking side, and most of all; a monumental change in mentality. A belief that we can go to any ground, anywhere in the world, and impose our style and our game on any opposition.
Heading into the summer break our concern, as always, was the loss of key players. As Napoli fans we have become accustomed to seeing our most valuable assets linked with or actually move away after one or two successful campaigns, denying us the opportunity to build on what we have and go again in the new season.
Cavani, Lavezzi, and Higuain are the three names which immediately come to mind and as the summer came around we heard rumours of discontent between the club and players like Lorenzo Insigne, with wage demands and image rights coming to the fore. Dries Mertens, once the super sub for Lorenzo Insigne, had become the focal point of the team, the true heir to Higuain, and rumours swirled on social media of a marital issue which could threaten his future in Naples. Once again, it felt like we would come so close to building something special just to see it torn apart, but then something changed.
Lorenzo Insigne, after what felt like a lifetime of negotiations, renewed his contract until 2022 and, most importantly, there is no release clause in his deal; a clear indication that the player wanted to stay in Naples not just for now but for the long term. Shortly afterwards, Dries Mertens would follow suit, signing on until 2021, although he has a release clause of around €28m which can be activated from summer 2018, when Dries is 31 years old.
These actions were seen as a tangible and tantamount shift in mentality by the club President, Aurelio De Laurentiis, so often accused by the support of putting profit before progress. While the two games with Real Madrid awakened something in the players, it also appears it has awoken something inside of De Laurentiis also. No longer are our best players available to those who flash the biggest wad of cash, no longer will we be a feeding club to others looking to feast on the success of the talents we have reared for 10 long months. No, De Laurentiis, for all his perceived faults, is not stupid.
Everyone; from the President, to the boardroom, to the dressing room, to the canteen, to the very cleaners and admin staff themselves all share the same notion as the supporters; Napoli are onto something and we must harness it, we must retain the squad we have, build on the momentum we have shown, and take this renewed mentality into next season and hit the ground running.
The challenge will be tough, Milan are spending money as expected, but Napoli have what Milan don’t; experience. Napoli have a system in place, a squad and a manager which works in tandem and plays a style of football which is as entertaining as it is deadly to the opposition. Roma and Inter have new management and there is much instability around the top six of Serie A with arguably only Napoli, Juventus, and perhaps Lazio being the only ones who go into the new campaign as they were or reinforced.
In the end, while at the time it looked like a cruel draw after a hard fought Champions League campaign, it turns out that drawing Real Madrid was a blessing in disguise, an education from the best on how to be the best.
Rather than feel sorry for themselves and stand back admiring Los Galacticos, they looked to them, studied them, learned from them, and ultimately used the experience of sharing the pitch with them to better themselves. And while the league table and a 3rd place finish may be difficult for many to see past, a closer and more detailed analysis of Napoli pre and post Real Madrid tells the true picture; Napoli have evolved.
James McGhie