Rafael Benitez’ departure could be the best thing to happen to the club since his arrival – but only if the demotivated Gonzalo Higuain follows him out of the door for a good price.
In 2014/15, an eternally disappointing defence failed to do justice to a reborn attack in a season with promise but little palpable reward, apart from a satisfying Supercoppa victory over Juventus.
Eventually however, two insipid performances against Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk sent Benitez’ men crashing out of the Europa League. And on the final day of the season, their last chance to qualify for the Champions League was comprehensively denied them by direct challengers Lazio.
The season ended miserably, ending up in fifth place behind Fiorentina having been on the verge of third. To rub salt in the wound, Rafael Benitez refused a contract extension in favour of greener pastures and a bigger budget at the Santiago Bernabeu, leaving Napoli managerless ahead of a crucial transfer window.
With no Champions League to look forward to for a second season running, the far from unwavering loyalty of Gonzalo Higuain is sure to be tested, with no shortage of interest coming in from more successful teams.
The rest of the team is far from Galactico standard and should never have been a source of worry, but both Dries Mertens’ and Lorenzo Insigne’s agents have recently complained at the club’s handling of the players. Furthermore, one of their best defenders in Raul Albiol has been linked with a return to his homeland Spain.
The upshot is that Napoli’s president Aurelio De Laurentiis and newly appointed manager and sporting director, Maurizio Sarri and Cristiano Giuntoli, have a lot of head-scratching ahead this summer as to how to ensure a renewed bid for next year’s top three. Here are some suggestions…
TOP-HEAVY TEAM NEEDS BALANCE
The arrival of Manolo Gabbiadini and Jonathan de Guzman injected fresh life into the Napoli front line, coinciding with the return to form of captain Marek Hamsik. Eighteen league goals from the figurehead Gonzalo Higuain only told part of the story; the overall team return of 70 was only two goals short of Juventus’ league-leading tally.
But the reason their final standing did not reflect their goalscoring prowess was that Napoli had the worst defensive record in the top ten.
The reason for this might have been that, over the season, the erstwhile sporting director Riccardo Bigon had got rid of five defenders including Alessandro Gamberini, Paolo Cannavaro and Anthony Reveillère, bringing in only Kalidou Koulibaly to replace them.
It was not just a question of defenders: Swiss midfield duo Valon Behrami and Blerim Dzemaili were also shown the exit, leaving compatriot Gokhan Inler, himself struggling for form, to show youngsters David López and Jorginho the ropes.
The solution is clear. Sarri has done well to bring with him from Empoli a level-headed, fleet-footed regista in the form of Mirko Valdifiori. Now they must shore up the rest of the defensive outlet with some quality in the shape of Matteo Darmian or Šime Vrsaljko (for the flanks) and Daniele Rugani – less likely – or Nikola Maksimovic in the centre.
A token signing might be helpful but not strictly necessary: the fact that Sarri’s newly-promoted Empoli managed to concede fewer goals than Benitez’ supposedly Europe-ready Napoli could be a good sign for Napoli fans that the new management knows how to do more with less.
GONZALO MUST GO
The €40m Argentine dazzled – with 29 goals in all competitions – but only in fits and starts, quick bursts of brilliance being offset by long periods of frustration which at times proved costly.
He arrived two years ago as a gift to the new manager but his contribution has appeared more problematic this season with the absence of Champions League football. Now all signs point towards the theory that he is dissatisfied with his current club, who have failed once again to make the final leap despite far from stellar opposition.
It is arguable that Sarri would do better to dodge the risk of provoking the 27 year-old’s wrath any further and cashing in on him, with reported interest from Manchester United, Juventus and PSG.
Manolo Gabbiadini has already proved himself worthy of a first-team berth, while local lad Ciro Immobile, in search of redemption after a disastrous spell in Dortmund, has recently dropped serious hints that he wouldn’t mind a return to his native city. Perhaps being reunited with Lorenzo Insigne – also finding his feet again after a long injured spell – will be the necessary catalyst to rediscovering his Golden Boot form, previously inspired by Torino companion Alessio Cerci.
More concrete rumours are linking the Neapolitans with Riccardo Saponara, another player familiar with Sarri after a successful 2014-15 under his guidance in Tuscany. The presence of Valdifiori and Sarri at the club could be the key to drawing in other team-mates such as Rugani and Saponara, thereby also fulfilling president De Laurentiis’ wish of making a more Italian team.
Yet the president has recently implied his wish to retain the services of Higuain by putting an obscene €90m price tag on him. If this puts his suitors off, Napoli risk a repeat of this season’s histrionics and not making the most of his market value.
OLD GUARD GOOD FOR NOW
The recent signings of Valdifiori and Pepe Reina, while canny, expose a desire to opt for experience over promise. At this stage this is no bad thing, especially considering the prevalence of young players in the squad.
What Napoli fans must hope for now is some forward-thinking in the attack, which might involve a bit more consideration of the wantaway Duvan Zapata as well as perhaps putting the next generation of Italian attackers – Gabbiadini and Insigne – at the heart of Sarri’s plans.
Higuain’s potential departure would not have such an adverse effect on the side’s goal yield as some might imagine: the rest of the squad is perfectly capable of creating and converting chances.
The goals that Napoli’s management should worry about are the ones they are conceding, and it is in that respect that this transfer window should be considered a success or a failure.
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