Napoli had several fantastic seasons with Walter Macari more than 10 years ago, not so long ago under the command of Maurizio Sarri they were very close to the Scudetto, then Juventus both on and off the field was too much for the Neapolitans.
And this year, when looking at the quality of the teams, the title was probably more distant than ever, the Azzurri turned things around and are well on their way to bringing the long-awaited trophy to the stadium named after the man who is the symbol of Napoli - Diego Maradona.
Napoli is one step away from the Scudetto, it is very possible to win it already today if the two results match - the first condition is that Lazio in Milan from 12.30:15 p.m. does not beat Inter, and if the Romans lose or draw then Lućan Spalletti's team only has to beat at home Salernitana in a duel that starts at XNUMX p.m. It doesn't seem unrealistic, on the contrary...
Anyway, the party is already ready, the tickets for the match were sold out days ago, the fans are preparing a choreography to "bury" all 19 rivals in Serie A. That's how Naples looks at the trophy that has been certain for months...
Spalletti himself is on the threshold of heaven, waiting for the first title in Italy in a coaching career that began in 1994 on the bench of Empoli. So far he tried with Roma and Inter, he will win it with the club that was last champion in 1990. Of course, with Maradona in the team.
- This is not revenge, although they always told me that I am nobody until I become the champion of Italy. I'll just say that the wait was worth it - said Spaleti and added:
- There is always tension, even now, even though we are really close. Since 2001, the Scudetto has been "walking" from Turin to Milan, now we have to be calm and finish the job, because we all deserve a big celebration. The players, the club, the coaches, but especially the fans - said Spaleti.
Napoli has only three defeats this season. He experienced the first at the beginning of January against Inter at "Giuseppe Meaca", and the other two at home - against Lazio and Milan - in moments when he practically had no competition on the way to the title.
- Naples is sometimes a bit crazy, it's all about the energy that always exists, it just needs to be channeled in the right way. When you look at all this from the outside, it may seem a bit theatrical, for some it's unreal, but I understood it differently - here football is something more - said Spaleti.
If there's a Napoli stain this season, it's the Champions League, although they've made it to the quarter-finals for the first time in their history. The "Azuri" easily passed the group, then also Eintracht before being eliminated by Milan - far from being the weaker team in the double-header, but as if the pressure of even a slight favorite did its work.
Spalletti was the champion of Russia twice with Zenit, his third title is smiling at him.
- If I had to wait for Napoli, then it was worth it. If we really win the Scudetto, we will talk about it for generations to come. I am proud of the group we have created, the atmosphere in and around the team, the quality we have shown, the euphoria in the city and in the stadium in a large number of games this season - said Spaleti.
The countdown has long since begun, everything points to April 30 as the date when Napoli will finally change history...
It took 25 wins in 31 games this season. There are three draws and three defeats each - the Neapolitans won a point each in duels with Fiorentina, Lecce and Verona, they lost against Inter, Lazio and Milan.
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