A not particularly exciting start to the championship was enough to put Napoli in the unpleasant position of having to defend themselves, in the media and on the pitch, from accusations of an early failure: Spalletti's farewell and Garcia's arrival have evidently changed the assumptions on which a game that enchanted all of Europe was based, but this certainly does not mean that expectations must necessarily change downwards. After all, a short series of below par performances and a new, more convincing victory were enough to fuel a rollercoaster of emotions and ambitions.
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A summer to remember for Napoli football team
The premises for a season that was not supposed to be like the others had already become clear at the end of last season, with the celebrations for a championship that had been missing for over 30 years in the Campania capital and with the farewell of the technical guide: Luciano Spalletti had in fact chosen to abandon the management of the team after two years of activity under Vesuvius, inducing the presidency to find a new coach who could share his European ambitions.
The choice fell on Rudi Garcia, an expert profile and already knowledgeable about Italian football for having been the coach of Roma. An option that had not convinced all the fans, but which was in some ways consistent with the European prospects of De Laurentiis.
The first results do not convince everyone
The championship starts off on the right foot for the Neapolitans.
Napoli won 3-1 on the Frosinone pitch and, a week later, did the double at home against Sassuolo, 2-0. The month of August therefore ends as expected, with the Azzurri appearing to defend the leading odds published on the main bookmakers. scommessesulweb.com.
In football, however, things tend to change rapidly and so it was also for Napoli. The month of September in fact opened with a 1-2 home defeat against Lazio and with a performance that made more than a few fans turn up their noses.
Victory was also missed after the break for the national teams, with Napoli unable to go beyond a 2-2 draw away to Genoa. The European appointment arrives on September 20, with a narrow victory over Braga and then another draw in the league, this time on the Bologna pitch, 0-0.
In the middle, some disagreements between the coach and some key players like Kvara and Osimhen, and the impression that something has broken.
The Osimhen case
As if the above were not enough, the Neapolitan scene is further complicated by the publication of a video on the club's TikTok profile. A video perhaps with an ironic intent, which however seems to mock the fact that a player like Osimhen, who had already shown discontent, had missed a decisive penalty on the previous matchday.
The talented striker didn't like the video and, in response, he deleted all his photos wearing the Napoli shirt from his social media profiles and - according to sports newspapers - expressed his intention to leave the club at the end of the season or, perhaps, even earlier, in the January transfer market.
The video has since been removed, but the impression is that the gaffe – and everything that comes from it – had already been done.
President investigated for false accounting
The news of this turbulent start to the season does not end here. A few days ago the news came that The Rome Public Prosecutor's Office has entered Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis in the register of suspects with an act due after the receipt of the documents by the Neapolitan prosecutors. The proceeding is linked to the alleged fictitious capital gains relating to the purchase, in 2020, of the Nigerian striker Osimhen.
It should be remembered in this regard that Napoli had already been acquitted by the sports justice in the first strand of the investigation into capital gains, with a case that appeared very different from that of Juventus, which was instead convicted. It remains to be seen what could happen now.
In fact, if the new investigations by the Roman prosecutor's office were to bring to light any relevant facts, then the federal prosecutor could request the documents and evaluate whether to reopen the case. If, however, no other relevant facts were to emerge, then it is likely that there will be no repercussions for Napoli.
In short, a rather eventful start to the season for Neapolitan fans, who would now prefer to focus solely and exclusively on the fate of their team on the pitch. The convincing 4-1 victory over Udinese seems to be a good way to get back on track, even if many elements suggest that in the coming weeks there will still be much to discuss about the evolution of the Neapolitan dressing room.
Article published on 26 September 2023 - 10:25
