In Serie A and the Champions League, no team has been more impressive than Luciano Spalletti this season. The Partenopei have blown teams away with their attacking verve and defensive prowess, having lost only twice so far.
While they have been knocked out of the Coppa Italia, that hasn’t stopped from a host of Napoli’s star players imposing themselves on the pitch every week. That doesn’t just include Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Victor Osimhen, but also includes the likes of Stanislav Lobotka, Andre Frank Zambo Anguissa, Kim Min-Jae and Piotr Zielinski.
As per FBref, Napoli have generated the highest amount of xG (16.2) in the Champions League this season and have scored the most number of goals (18), signifying their dominance in Europe.
In Serie A, the Partenopei have scored ten more goals than anyone else and have also let in the least amount of goals in the top flight, two less than Juventus. Spalletti’s side have also earned a knack for dominating possession, averaging a possession dominance of 61.4 percent – more than anyone else in the Serie A.
Dominating possesion means that Napoli have also played the most number of progressive passes in Serie A (992). Kim Min-Jae’s ability to control possession from deep and the team’s habit of having one full-back drop into a wide centre-back in possession allows them to have a solid structure in possession.
While the attacking players are exceptional at finding spaces and exploiting them, the midfield of Zambo Anguissa and Lobotka is very good at winning the ball back and recycling possession, making sure that Spalletti’s retain control of the ball while also allowing individual strengths to thrive.
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Kaustubh Pandey | GIFN
