MIDWEEK RESULTS(ROUND 33)
Sampdoria [ 0-2 ] Torino Atalanta [ 3-2 ] Spezia Juventus [ 2-1 ] Lecce Salernitana [ 3-3 ] Fiorentina Hellas Verona [ 0-6 ] Inter Milan AC Milan [ 1-1 ] Cremonese Monza [ 1-1 ] Roma Lazio [ 2-0 ] Sassuolo Udinese [ 1-1 ] Napoli Empoli [ 3-1 ] Bologna
NAPOLI’S SERIE A TRIUMPH.
Napoli’s 33-year wait for another Scudetto finally came to an end when Victor Osimhen scored in the 55th minute to get Napoli a ‘1-1’ draw against Udinese to end a terrific season.
For the first time in 22 seasons, the Serie A champions will not be from Turin or Milan. – It will be from Naples.
CAMPIONI D’ITALIA – SOCIETÀ SPORTIVA CALCIO NAPOLI
Luciano Spalletti has won a couple of Coppa Italia titles and a Supercoppa Italiana with Roma, but this is a big one. Spalletti becomes the third manager to guide Napoli to the Italian Serie A title after Ottavio Bianchi and Alberto Bigon. For the first time in 22 seasons, the Serie A champions will not be from Turin or Milan, but rather from Naples.
With the 2008-09 season being the exception, Napoli has ended their season in the top half of the league table. Their average league finish since promotion from Serie B in 2007 is fifth place.
Napoli won their first title in a 16-team Serie A during the 1986-87 season, their second title in an 18-team Serie A during the 1989-90 season, and now their third title in a 20-team Serie A during the 2022-23 season. It has been a 33-year wait for Napoli to win another Scudetto, which they achieved in their best and most dominant way so far considering the number of games won, the goal difference, and the lead they have in the title race.
25 wins and 5 draws from 33 matches.
2.09 goals per game while conceding 0.7, and averaging 2.42 points per game.
69 goals scored.
When we recalculate the previous title-winning seasons to fit the current format, Napoli would have ended up with 57 points from 30 matches in 1986/87 and with 72 points from 34 matches in 1989-90. They had 75 points after 30 games this season.
Victor Osimhen leads the charge in goalscoring and is on track to end the season as Capocannoniere. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia leads the assist stats and is likely going to be the “Player of the Season” since he has been the only player to be named the league’s “Player of the Month” on three occasions (consecutively in the past two months).
The following players have moved on from Napoli and will not be part of the title-winning squad: Lorenzo Insigne (Toronto FC), Arkadiusz Milik (Marseille), Dries Mertens (Galatasaray), David Ospina (Al Nassr), Kalidou Koulibaly (Chelsea), and Fabián Ruiz (Paris Saint-Germain).
Dries Mertens stayed long enough to become the club’s highest goalscorer in Serie A but will now miss out on this title.
Kalidou Koulibaly’s first year away from Napoli and they become Serie A champions.
Arkadiusz Milik is missing out on the league title playing for Juventus.
Fabian Ruiz will likely pick up a league title in France, so that is a consolation.
CURRENT LEAGUE STANDINGS AT THE END OF THE ROUND:
1 | Napoli (33) – 80 points
2 | Lazio (33) – 64 points
3 | Juventus (33) – 63 points
4 | Inter Milan (33) – 60 points
5 | Atalanta (33) – 58 points
6 | Milan (33) – 58 points
7 | Roma (33) – 58 points
8 | Fiorentina (33) – 46 points
9 | Bologna (33) – 45 points
10 | Monza (33) – 45 points
11 | Torino (33) – 45 points
12 | Udinese (33) – 43 points
13 | Sassuolo (33) – 43 points
14 | Salernitana (33) – 35 points
15 | Empoli (33) – 35 points
16 | Lecce (33) – 31 points
17 | Spezia (33) – 27 points
18 | Hellas Verona (33) – 27 points
19 | Cremonese (33) – 21 points
20 | Sampdoria (33) – 17 points
Sampdoria suffered a ‘2-0’ home defeat to Torino, which puts them in danger of being relegated from Serie A.
Three wins in a row for Atalanta –
Atalanta secured their fourth unbeaten game with three wins in a row, thanks to Luiz Muriel’s 54th-minute goal that gave them a ‘3-2’ victory over struggling Spezia.
Dusan Vlahovic’s goal in the 40th minute ensured Juventus claimed all three points after Assan Ceesay’s penalty in the 37th minute had canceled out Leandro Paredes’ 15th-minute opener.
After scoring the goal that postponed Napoli’s title celebration, Boulaye Dia scored a hat-trick for Salernitana in a ‘3-3’ draw with Fiorentina.
Edin Dzeko and Lautaro Martinez each scored two goals as Inter Milan cruised to a ‘6-0’ victory over Hellas Verona, securing their third consecutive league win.
AC Milan and Roma followed their ‘1-1’ draw by both drawing ‘1-1’ with Monza and Cremonese, respectively. Junior Messias’s freekick in the final minute of added time saved AC Milan from a home defeat against relegation-threatened Cremonese.
Lazio denied Napoli from winning the title before they even kicked a ball, thanks to goals from Felipe Anderson and Toma Basic that gave them a ‘2-0’ victory over Empoli.
