With their impressive victory over Chelsea on Tuesday, Napoli once again provided evidence of why they could perhaps be serious candidates to win the UEFA Champions League this season. The Italian outfit came from a goal down to obtain an emphatic 3-1 victory over Chelsea courtesy of two goals from Ezequiel Lavezzi and another from Edinson Cavani.
What we witnessed at the Stadio San Paolo was without any doubt one of Napoli’s strongest displays of the season, not only because they came from behind to defeat tough English opposition, but because they did so in a grueling contest that marked their return to the elite of European soccer in remarkable style.
Napoli hadn’t achieved such wide success in European competition since the much acclaimed Diego Maradona era of the late 1980s and early 1990s, when they lifted the 1988-89 UEFA Cup, which was their first and only major international title triumph to date. During this period they also won two Scudettos (1987 & 1990), the Coppa Italia (1987) and the Supercoppa Italiana (1990).
Much of Napoli’s incredible rebirth can be brought down to the impact made by coach Walter Mazzarri, who was hired by the club in 2009, as well as the signing of several influential players including Cavani. The Uruguayan talisman is without any doubt Napoli’s leading figure and one of European soccer’s hottest properties.
The elegant striker played a key role in Napoli’s impressive triumph over Chelsea, as did fellow South American Lavezzi.
But do Napoli have what it takes to continue to reach the decisive stages of the Champions League and perhaps even stake a claim for the title? The answer is yes. The Neapolitans count with a roster of players which are even envied by the strongest teams of the competition, and their sheer determination and fighting spirit speaks for itself, as Napoli proved in the group stage of the Champions League where they came out of an extremely difficult group which involved Bayern Munich, Manchester City and Villarreal.
Napoli, who are considered “giant killers” in the Serie A, due to the fact that they tend to obtain consistent victories over the top sides, may have kissed goodbye to their chances of fighting for the Scudetto this season, however, are more alive than ever in the Coppa Italia and the Champions League.
Should Napoli progress to the quarter-finals of Europe’s biggest club competition, which they have great chances of doing, all of the big guns including Barcelona, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and fellow Italian sides Inter and AC Milan will hope to avoid them.
While Italian champions AC Milan have practically sealed their spot in the quarter-finals of the Champions League after inflicting a 4-0 defeat upon Arsenal at the San Siro last week, their arch-rivals Inter face a tricky assignment against Marseille.
Inter travel to the Stade Velodrome to lock horns with the in-from French outfit in what is expected to be a fiercely-contested round of 16 stage first leg encounter on Wednesday.
The 2010 Champions League winners may arrive in France in devastating form after having lost five of their last six games in all competitions, including a 3-0 shock defeat to Bologna in their latest fixture at the San Siro stadium last Friday, but simply can’t be discarded so easily.
Despite their horrid run of results, the Nerazzurri have great history in the Champions League, and will do their utmost to overcome Marseille as they intend to reach the later stages of the competition.
As under-fire coach Claudio Ranieri recently stated to the press, Inter find themselves in their “natural habitat” in the Champions League and can’t be taken lightly by any opponents, no matter how extensive their problems may appear.
It is worth noting that Inter had maintained an impressive eight-game winning streak in all competitions, right until Napoli beat them 2-0 to knock them out of the Coppa Italia in late January. Since this defeat Inter haven't won a single game.
But what will likely boost Inter’s chances of picking up a positive result against Marseille, and possibly end their barren run will be the fact that after several months they will finally be able to count with a relatively full-strength squad, with only Argentine attacking midfielder Ricky Alvarez sidelined with injury.
The return of a number of experienced players such as Diego Forlan, who will make his Champions League debut for Inter against the French outfit, will surely benefit the side in their attempts to reach the quarter-finals of the competition.
Napoli obtained a valuable victory over Chelsea on Tuesday. Can Inter do the same against Marseille on Wednesday?
