Napoli held off interest from Chelsea in star man Edinson Cavani this summer, and are so far reaping the rewards.
After a deserved 1-0 win at Sampdoria, Napoli are level on points with champions Juventus but how serious is their title challenge?
It was an impressive result for the Azzurri against a Sampdoria side who have started the season well.
Their chances of a first title since 1990 and the days of a certain Diego Maradona will be better judged after their next three games.
These will see Napoli face two winnable home games against Udinese and Chievo either side of an away trip to Juventus, who looked very impressive in stretching their unbeaten league run to 45 with a 4-1 rout of Roma at the weekend.
Seven points or better from these games will cement Napoli’s position as number one challengers to Juve’s scudetto.
The start of the summer transfer window was an uncertain time for Napoli and their supporters, after missing out on a Champions League place they were unsure how many of their best players would leave with reported interest in Hamsik, Cavani, Lavezzi and Gargano.
They lost Lavezzi to P.S.G and Gargano to Inter, these were two major losses however head coach Walter Mazzarri replaced them with Goran Pandev and Valon Behrami who have both hit the ground running and look more than adequate replacements.
Chilean winger Eduardo Vargas was also bought and while he still waits to make his Serie A breakthrough he looked every inch the player in the Europa League against A.I.K where he bagged a hat-trick.
However the clubs most important piece of business in the summer was tying down Edinson Cavani to a new deal.
The Uruguayan’s winner from the penalty spot on Sunday was his eighth goal in 11 Serie A matches and if Napoli are to challenge for the title at the business end of the season they will have to keep Cavani fit.
With Cavani, Napoli have the luxury of being able to play with a mix of styles when necessary. They can play the ball to feet or be more direct if the situation dictates.
Missing out on the Champions League was a big blow for them last season but this year it gives them a big advantage over Juventus as Mazzarri can rotate his squad for Europa league matches, at least until the tournament gets to the knock out stages.
This could be crucial as Juventus are already in danger of over using their big players, Pirlo and Vidal looked off the pace in the 1-1 draw with Shakhtar.
With the Milan clubs going through a period of transition and not looking their best to say the least Napoli are better placed than anyone to pursue Juventus for the title.
The top two’s meeting on October 20 might tell us if they can go all the way.
image: © jikatu
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