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Extended Clip - Napoli On FIRE: How Far Can They Go In The Champions League?
1.1k Plays3 years ago
After thrashing Ajax 6-1 away, Nima and Carlo discuss just how far in the Champions League Luciano Spalletti's Napoli can go.
This is an extended clip from this week's Thursday episode of The Italian Football Podcast which is only available for patrons on Patreon.com/TIFP
To listen to ALL complete episodes of The Italian Football Podcast, go to Patreon.com/TIFP and become a Patron for only $2.99 USD per month (excluding VAT).
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Transcript
Introduction to the podcast
00:00:00
Speaker
Welcome to the Italian football podcast.
Napoli's dominant performance against Ajax
00:00:05
Speaker
So they hit AX for six. I mean, this team, this Napoli team at the moment is absolutely unstoppable. They've scored six goals in this game. They could have scored 12. That is no, and I'm not exaggerate. They had so many chances. They hit the woodwork. They missed sitters. The keeper made, you know, saves he shouldn't have made. I mean, they were just unstoppable. They just cut through AX. You know, this is AX. So, OK, they've been weakened.
00:00:31
Speaker
quite a lot over the summer, they've lost a lot, they've lost some, you know, some big players to Manny Knighted, Anthony, Lissandra Martinez, and you know, they've lost other players, you know, but to do this, you know, in Amsterdam, and again,
00:00:46
Speaker
Everyone was fantastic. Everyone was fantastic. I mean, if I had to pick out three, Raspadori is on fire, two goals in assist. He's now got six goals in the last month. You know, we saw him for Italy, how well he did for them. But even for Napoli now, he's doing it in the Champions League, three goals in the Champions League.
Napoli's prospects in the Champions League
00:01:05
Speaker
Kavada has scaled it again, just unplayable. Golden assist. I mean, he was beating his man. He was cutting in from the left taking, curling in shots.
00:01:13
Speaker
and we saw again incredible dominated midfield two assists he's now the second most assists in the competition this season luckily we were saying on the last episode he's becoming you know one of the most complete players in well anywhere really and now that's seven wins in a row for Napoli for me they've been the best team in the Champions League so far this season I think
00:01:34
Speaker
you've probably got City and Bayern Munich probably can compete with them but you know they've scored the most goals in the competition 13 they've got a difficult group and you know they've battled all the teams they've played against so the question is now really I mean I think
00:01:51
Speaker
qualification is pretty much done now. I mean, they'll need to have one of the biggest collapses ever not to qualify. But, you know, for me, they can win the group now, they just need to beat they beat Ajax and Rangers at home, then all they need to do is avoid a three goal defeat by Liverpool and Anfield. And they win the group, which gives them a good chance of a good join the last 16. So, I mean, I think they've got they've definitely got a good chance against the quarters. And then if they can maintain their form, who knows? How far do you think they how far do you think that they can go?
00:02:19
Speaker
I think Napoli, look, I before the season, I said that I think this is of all the Italian teams, they have the best chance to win their group. And, you know, I think they will win their group. They have to win their group. And I think I agree with everything you said about them being the best team, best performers so far in the Champions League. And I think, I mean, the favorites are obviously City Bayern in a league of their own and then PSG. But I have Napoli as a dark horse to win the tournament.
00:02:46
Speaker
I still think a quarterfinal is what I demand and can reasonably ask of them.
Spalletti's management and squad strategy
00:02:51
Speaker
I think they're definitely good enough to get to the quarterfinals. But then it's about the draw and form and how the form is in April, March, February, whenever the games are. So it's a quarterfinal minimum for me.
00:03:08
Speaker
Then anything goes anything, you know, it's it's it's a knockout tournament, isn't it? It's about four, you know, like I said, it's about form which I'll play, you know, injuries, all that stuff. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, for me, they've got great squads as well. I mean, they've got such depth in the attack. I've said it. They've got six players for the three positions in attack who most clubs in Europe, even the bigger clubs would really be envious of. There's so much quality and so many goals and so much so much creativity there.
00:03:35
Speaker
Um, you know, even in midfield, they've got good options in midfield and Don Bellet is starting to pick it up a little bit now, but you know, they're, they're also, what's one thing that we haven't mentioned. We've been so, you know, we've praised Spelletti how well he's done. But one thing I've noticed is Napoli, especially during this recent winning run, they've been scoring so many goals in the first half and taking the game away from the opponent so early that it's allowed Spelletti to rest players in the second half.
00:04:01
Speaker
And he's been taking plays off very early, you know, even at halftime and even against Liverpool, remember he was taking plays off on 55, 56 minutes, you know. Which is the intelligent thing to do when you're in that position. It's keeping everyone fresh. Yeah. It's giving everyone minutes. And that will definitely help them during this very, very hectic period before the World Cup, where it's just ridiculous. It's almost inhumane, the number of games that have been playing. But it also, later on in the season, that will certainly
00:04:28
Speaker
certainly help them notwithstanding the rest that they're going to get during the World Cup, in which there's actually not many Napoli players playing at the World Cup, certainly compared to other teams in Italy and in the Champions League as well. So, I mean, Napoli are really well placed. They're obviously not going to maintain this ridiculous run they're on and how many goals they score and how well everyone's playing. Of course, it's unsustainable for any team in Europe, but
00:04:53
Speaker
I mean, it's beautiful to watch. They're the team I enjoy watching most. Every year I have a team in Italy that I love watching. It was Atalanta two or three years ago. Then for a while it was Sassuola. Now it's Napoli. They're the team. Napoli by far. I mean, they do play the best football in Italy. There's no doubt about that. And they're solid defensively. I mean, unlike Gasparini's Atalanta, they leaked an hemorrhage chances.
00:05:17
Speaker
The Snapplety team doesn't do that. They're a well-balanced team. Spaletti's not stupid. He understands that this is the best team he's probably ever coached, the most adapted group tactically, individually, technically, to his kind of football.
Napoli's potential as a Champions League contender
00:05:33
Speaker
And he's coaching them, and he's never been better Spaletti than he is right now.
00:05:36
Speaker
And I think he, I mean, the fact that look, it's Ajax, Ajax are European football aristocracy, and it's the first time that they conceded, I think, five goals at home in a European game. I mean, that's just mad.
00:05:51
Speaker
I mean, they're just ripping teams apart. And I know that this isn't the Ajax of the 70s with Kroy from them. I get that. But still, so many years have come and gone and no one's score demolished Ajax away the way that Napoli have. And they went a goal down, didn't they? I mean, Ajax opened the scoring. I mean, this is the thing. Napoli just have that zest about them where they, you know, they're going to score at least two, three goals each game.
00:06:17
Speaker
Um, so now it's I'm, I'm incredibly impressed. And, you know, again, I had them as a, as a team, the Italian team with the best chance to win the group and the Italian team that will go farthest in Europe. And I stick by that. I think they'll get to a minimum quarterfinal. Um, but I do have them now as my dark horse to win the tournament. Yeah. Not the favorites by any stretch of the imagination. That's still city by an MPSG in that order, but dark horse for sure.
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00:06:43
Speaker
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