There were only a handful of Napoli fans inside the Stadio Olimpico to witness Fabian Ruiz’s stoppage time winner against Lazio on Sunday, but they made their presence felt. They had the Napoli players and substitutes, who rushed over to the corner of the stadium to celebrate, to help them. It was a moment that underlined the connection between those on the pitch and those in the stands for the club.
Ruiz’s winner sent Napoli back to the top of the Serie A table, a position they had held over the early phase of the season. Luciano Spalletti’s team started the campaign with real momentum, winning eight straight league games to open up an advantage over their Scudetto rivals. Then injuries struck.
Victor Osimhen, the Nigerian forward who spearheaded Napoli’s early-season form with nine goals in 10 games, suffered a cheekbone injury that sidelined him for close to three months. Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa missed a stretch of matches through injury with Kalidou Koulibaly also sideline for a spell.
Just as Anguissa and Koulibaly returned, they left for the Africa Cup of Nations as Napoli lost ground in the Scudetto race. However, key figures including Anguissa, Koulibaly and Osimhen are now back and Spalletti’s team are building momentum again, as demonstrated by their dramatic win over Lazio in the Italian capital.
It has helped that others around Napoli have recently dropped points in a series of matches. AC Milan have won just two of their last six Serie A matches while Inter are without a win in their last four matches. Juventus might just have turned a corner after the January addition of Dusan Vlahovic, but Max Allegri’s side remain inconsistent.
The opportunity is there for Napoli to stretch their advantage as the frontrunners with the table-toppers set to host second-place AC Milan on Sunday. With five wins from their last seven league games, Spalletti’s side are slight favourites to claim all three points from a game that could set the tone for the rest of the Italian title race.
I want to underline that everyone keeps moaning that this team doesn’t have character, it’s soft, it’s sluggish, I want to hear them say that now,” Spalletti said after the win over Lazio. “This team definitely has character. I see an ugly atmosphere around this team, people trying to say we lack character. I want to see them say that now.
“This is a team challenging for a high level of the table, that has generally played good football. I don’t know what people try to drag us into, perhaps because they are afraid to face opponents like this with open football, but my players are not afraid. We got knocked down, we got straight back on our feet again and poured forward to find the winner. I don’t think it’s a bad thing to say this was a deserved victory.”
Spalletti is right to be bullish about the spirit and character of his team. They could have fallen away due to injuries and AFCON call-ups, but they stayed within touch of the pack until such a point that they are back to full strength again. AC Milan, Inter and Juventus all boast stronger squads on individual talent, but perhaps not in terms of mindset.
Napoli challenged for the Scudetto under Maurizio Sarri, but fell short of clinching their first league title since the days of Diego Maradona over three decades ago. Back then, though Juventus still had a tight grip on the Italian game. That grip has since loosened and Napoli have been presented with a golden opportunity.
Defeat to Barcelona in the Europa League was a sore one for Spalletti and his players to take, but with Inter and Juventus still involved in continental competition it’s possible Napoli might gain an advantage down the stretch. They will have greater recovery time between fixtures, something that will aid their relatively small squad.
If Osimhen can stay fit, if he can continue to deliver goals, and if the likes of Anguissa and Koulibaly can stay on the pitch between now and the end of the season, Napoli stand an excellent chance of ending their long, long wait for a Scudetto title. Victory over AC Milan on Sunday would tilt the odds further in their favour. There might be more celebrations like the ones witnessed at the Stadio Olimpico.
