Serie A Betting Preview for 2007/2008 Season - Naples

2nd Jul 2007, 20:07

For a club that was declared bankrupt in August 2004 with estimated debts of 70 million euros, after relegation to Serie C (Italy’s third division), Napoli have enjoyed a meteoric rise back into the big time. The Azzurri will start the 2007/08 season back among the aristocrats of Serie A, having earned successive promotions, but PinnacleSports.com have posted them as outsiders to mark their return by winning the Scudetto.

Napoli Dreaming of Return to Glory Years

Napoli are probably Italy’s greatest ‘sleeping giant’ with a huge southern fan-base to rival the biggest teams of the industrial North. The signing of Diego Maradona in 1984 was the catalyst for the greatest period in the club’s history. During the mid-80’s Napoli won the Scudetto twice, were twice runner’s up, and lifted the Coppa Italia and UEFA Cup, but leaner times followed as Maradona and the remainder of that successive club either left the club or retired.

The passion that Neapolitans have for their club can be illustrated by 72 year old Sofia Loren’s promise in May 2007 to do a striptease if they achieved promotion “The fans have a total passion, the city deserves promotion”. Though a dedicated fan, Loren wasn’t as good as her word, but she did help put Napoli back in the headlines.

Whether Napoli remain in the spotlight is the hands of Edoardo ‘Edi’ Reja, who has been manager of the club since 2005. His managerial CV isn’t particularly inspiring running to twenty clubs, including short spells with several Serie A clubs that almost always ended with relegation. The adulation Reja has received for steering the Partenopei back into the top tier of Italian football will be short-lived should the club fail to hold its own.

Napoli’s squad is bereft of big name international talent, with the most recognisable name on the team sheet belonging to Paolo Cannavaro, younger brother of Fabio, who lifted the World Cup for Italy in 2006. The Cannavaro’s hail from Naples, and 34 year old Fabio, currently contracted to Real Madrid, has hinted that he would like to end his career with his hometown club, but that seems unlikely to happen given the salary demands he would command. The Azzurri have made a handful of summer signings, but the focus has been on poaching promising talent from Serie B rather than trying to tempt high-profile players. The reality is that the club simply do not have the financial muscle to compete in the existing transfer environment.

Permanent link

More news »