Napoli’s strike duo of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Victor Osimhen led the way as Napoli rolled on to their sixth consecutive victory on Sunday. Here are four takeaways selected by Forza Napoli Press.
Tried and Tested
Even against Serie A’s lowest-ranked club, Luciano Spalletti made no changes to the squad he fielded in Napoli’s 3-0 victory over Spezia. Clearly the Napoli Mister wants to collect as many points as possible before the Champions League resumes in the third week of February.
The choice to start Hiving Lozano on the right wing was perhaps the only surprise. For the first time this season, Lozano has started in four consecutive league matches and the Mexican appears to be benefitting from the consistent playing time. El Chucky arguably had his best performance of the season, highlighted by a goal-saving tackle in the tenth minute to keep the match scoreless.
Goals Galore
Napoli’s dynamic duo of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Victor Osimhen continue to deliver. Kvaratskhelia celebrated his 22nd birthday by scoring his 9th goal of the season (11th in all competitions) to go along with 9 assists (12 in all competitions). The Georgian scored in the 22nd minute of the 22nd round on his 22nd birthday.
Meanwhile, Victor Osimhen scored his league-leading 17th goal of the season. With Ademola Lookman failing to net in Atalanta’s 0-2 victory over Lazio on Saturday, Osimhen is now five goals clear in the race for capocannoniere. Number 17 was by far the easiest. The Nigerian tapped in from the goal line after Kim Min-jae bravely lunged to head the ball back in front of the goal.
Eljif Elmas came off the bench to score his sixth goal of the season – a career best in any domestic competition. The North Macedonian is one goal away from equaling his career best in all competitions.
Napoli have now scored 74 goals in all competitions. Of all teams in the top five European leagues, only Bayern Munich (77) have scored more.
Unlike Ever Before
Napoli are finally playing with the mentality of champions – something they lacked in recent championship runs. Whether it’s due to results in other matches (see 2017/18), injuries (see 2020/21 and 2021/22) or for other reasons, such officiating or superstition, Napoli have historically dropped points to clubs they should have beaten. 2022/23 seems to be different.
The Partenopei overcame their superstitions, wearing the same Valentine’s Day kit that they wore in the Coppa Italia defeat to the same opponent (Cremonese) and at the same venue (Stadio Maradona).
They also overcame some questionable decisions from match official Luca Massimi and his crew. In the first half, Alex Ferrari appeared to clip Kvaratskhelia’s foot in the area before the Georgian went to ground. Despite Ferrari immediately throwing his hands in the air – often more of an admission of guilt rather than of innocence – neither Massimi nor the VAR awarded he penalty.
Then, early in the second half, Johan Vasquez was late on a challenge on Lozano, appearing to stomp on the Mexican’s right foot. Vasquez was fortunate to not be cautioned for the foul on his fellow countryman, as the Cremonese centre back was already on a yellow card.
Nevertheless, the Azzurri played through the adversity and took home all three points, brining their season total to 59 out of a possible 66.
Maradona Fortress
The Maradona has become a fortress once again. With his ninth consecutive victory at home, Luciano Spalletti surpassed Alberto Bigon and Ottavio Bianchi for most consecutive victories at home during a title-winning season.
The Maradona was packed once again, even for a match against the team at the bottom of the table. In his pre-match press conference, Spalletti encouraged fans to enjoy the moment and not make any predictions of any kind.
The ultras of Curva B encouraged fans on that side of the stadium to show extra support by brining flags of any size. Amongst them were flags from North America, including the Napoli Club Philadelphia, Napoli Club Toronto and Mid-Atlantic Partenopei.
