Napoli were practically unstoppable in Serie A last season, putting daylight between themselves and the rest of the league in scintillating fashion. There’s a difference between winning the league by shocking the rest of the league with consistently excellent performance and defending a league title. In the latter situation, Napoli now have a target firmly painted on their backs and the rest of the league will be determined to unseat them. After last season’s heroics, all eyes will be on the defending champions to see if they can replicate the brilliance of the 2022/23 campaign. As we look forward to the new Serie A season, BetKing, Nigeria’s top online sports betting platform, offers you a chance to win millions by taking advantage of the best odds on the market.
**Napoli’s victorious 2022/23 season** For us to review where Gli Azzurri are now, we need to first examine how they got here. Last season,Napoli won the league title at a canter, despite entering the season as a team in transition due to the departure of several key players. Kalidou Koulibaly swapped Naples for London after Chelsea agreed to pay £33m for his services. There were other exits too. The captain, Lorenzo Insigne, all-time leading scorer Dries Mertens and Fabian Ruiz all left the club, making a top-four finish barely realistic. No one predicted that Napoli could win league after the summer they had, not even self-proclaimed experts in providing sports betting tips saw what happened next coming. Under Luciano Spalletti, Napoli rode the storm excellently, effectively wrapping up the league title in March. As much as it was a collective effort, two men stood out. Super Eagles striker Victor Osimhen, one of Nigeria’s finest exports in years, tore Italian defences to shreds but he was not alone. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia was his running mate. The Georgian is fondly referred to as “Kvaradona” by the Napoli faithful — christened, almost, as the second coming of Diego Maradona, who was and forever remains a mythical figure in Naples. Together, Osimhen and Kvaratskhelia wreaked havoc and mesmerized their way to a 90-point season and well-deserved Serie A title. Osimhen, in particular, was a delight to watch every week. He has become so influential and revered in Naples that little kids have started to wear face masks like the Super Eagles forward. In claiming the Serie A Golden Boot, he became the first African player in the 125-year history of the Italian top-flight to win the honor. His 26 goals in 32 Serie A appearances helped Napoli win their first Serie A title since 1990, ending a 33-year drought. Can he maintain such high levels in the new season? BetKing offers you high odds on Osimhen’s goal tally for the coming campaign.
Inevitably, Osimhen’s brilliant performances drew the attention of the biggest European and Saudi Arabian sides. Saudi Pro League side Al Hilal actually went past the ‘interest’ stage and bid for the Nigerian with an offer of around €140m, which was immediately rejected by Napoli. They are expected to return with an improved offer but there are reports that Osimhen’s preference is to remain in Naples. PSG could also bid for the ex-Lille striker.
**Can Napoli retain the Serie A title?** **Key tactics** The first and most important thing to note before answering this question is that there will be a new manager in the Napoli dugout this season. League winner Luciano Spalletti decided to go out on a high and took a break. To replace him, the defending champions brought in former Al Nassr boss Rudi Garcia. Garcia employs a similar 4-3-3 formation to what Spalletti used last season, with emphasis on high press and quick transitions. He’ll also prioritize building up from the back and spreading the full-backs wide. Unfortunately, he’ll be without the services of Kim Min-Jae who’s perhaps the perfect defender to do that. **Absence of Kim** Kim was one of the biggest and perhaps underrated success stories of the 2022-23 Serie A season. After arriving from Turkish club Fenerbahçe in the summer of 2021, the South Korean quickly became a fan favorite in Naples in the title-winning season. He was one of just eight defenders to win at least 63% of aerial duels (of those to be involved in at least 100 duels but was equally as comfortable with the ball at his feet. **Transfer moves so far** Napoli have been relatively cautious in the transfer market, bringing in just two players. Giacomo Raspadori has arrived on a permanent transfer from Sassuolo for €23m and defender Natan has come in from Brazilian side Bragantino for just €10m. Regardless of the changes since they won the Scudetto, the short answer is yes, Napoli can win the title again. Any attack with Victor Osimhen and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia should have enough firepower to bag as many goals and points as possible. Kvaratskhelia is immensely important to Napoli’s attack, relied on to contribute both goals and assists. The Georgian finished the season with 12 goals and 10 assists, becoming the first player to reach double figures in both metrics in his first-ever top-flight season within the top five European leagues since 2007. Osimhen, on the other hand, focuses solely on finishing off the chances as they come. The Nigerian scored 26 Serie A goals from an xG of 21.4, underlining his incredible finishing ability. **Likely challengers** Napoli will have challengers, of course. The likes of Milan, who have just added exciting Nigerian forward Samuel Chukwueze, and Inter, who reached the Champions League final last year will be favorites to challenge for the title. Both teams finished in the top four last season and have made exciting additions ahead of the season. Juventus could also be considered a dark horse, especially since they have the freedom of playing once a week due to their European ban. Regardless of the competition, Napoli, who begin their Serie A campaign away to Frosinone on August 19, remain the team to beat.
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