Napoli breaks Serie A. One of the best teams at the start of the season

Few people would have thought last summer that Napoli would have something to claim this season. The Neapolitans lost captain Lorenzo Insigne, key defender Kalidou Koulibaly, important midfielder Fabian Ruiz and Dries Mertens, the club's top scorer in history. The Belgian, in principle, had a replacement in the person of Victor Osimhen, but there were questions about other positions. However, the Azzurri did a fine job on the transfer market last summer.

How did it happen

Napoli signed winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia from Dynamo Batumi to replace Insigne. The transfer amount was 10 million euros mostbet-az-90.com kopecks by modern standards, especially considering the importance of the Georgian for the team. The Neapolitans also worked well with the replacement of Koulibaly. The Senegalese was replaced by Kim Min Jae, who immediately became a player in the starting lineup. For the Korean Azzurri, they paid 18 million euros, too little. In addition, Napoli signed defender Matias Oliveira from Getafe for 11 million euros and bought midfielder Andrea Zambo Anguissa from Fulham for 15 million. In addition to all the above transfers, the Neapolitans rented strikers Giovanni Simeone and Giacomo Raspadori. Azzurri sporting director Cristiano Giuntoli did a great job last summer. Each of the players signed by the functionary is highly motivated. However, this applies to everyone playing in Naples. As a result, the first place in the standings of Serie A. Napoli is among the top three teams in Europe along with Real Madrid and PSG. All of them have not yet lost a single match in the national championship.

What's next

Currently, the Neapolitans have 11 victories in a row in all tournaments. This is their best start to the season since 1987. In the Champions League, the Azzurri qualified for the playoffs ahead of schedule, being in the same group with tough rivals Liverpool and Ajax. Moreover, Napoli beat each of them with a devastating score.

In the Italian championship, the Neapolitans are in leading positions not only in the standings. For example, the Azzurri have the best attack in Serie A. Napoli scores the most in the national championship with an average of 2.36 goals per match. The Neapolitans also have the most shots on target (72 shots currently). According to this indicator, they are seriously ahead of their closest pursuers in the face of Inter (62 shots on target) and Milan (57). The Azzurri occupy 2nd place in Serie A in ball control, second only to Fiorentina in this indicator, oddly enough. At the same time, they are only 12th in Italy in terms of the distance covered. This shows that Napoli manage to win by playing economically. To achieve this, the Neapolitans' interaction must be at a high level. Apparently, the players have no problems with mutual understanding. Every player knows what he needs to do on the pitch. The Azzurri are good in the air and have already scored 7 goals on the second floor. This is the best indicator in the Italian championship along with Udinese. In addition, Napoli are 3rd in Serie A in terms of corners (66). This means that the wards of Luciano Spalletti constantly keep the opponents in suspense, forcing them to fight off the defense, and not just take the ball away. The Neapolitans do not have one hero, the whole team works. Although, of course, Khvicha stands out against the general background. The newcomer has quickly fitted in with the Azzurri and is their top scorer this season. To date, the 21-year-old winger has made 15 appearances in all competitions, 7 goals and 8 assists. He has 5 goals in Serie A. The same number of goals were scored by Rafael Leau and Paulo Dybala, who have been playing in Italy for much longer.