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10 PLAYERS TO WATCH IN THE 2021 AFRICA CUP OF NATIONS.

Players from Europe top leagues aim to spark up Africa’s maiden tournament as it takes football’s centre stage.

Africa’s most coveted football trophy is up for grabs from the hands of the Algerian national team.

The past few months have seen club football lit up with the performance of African players plying their trade in leagues across the world. Players from different positions have shown their wits in their respective club sides and are now ready to light up Africa. Here are 10 players to watch out for as African football takes centre stage.

10. RAMY BENSEBAINI (Algeria, Borussia Monchengladbach).

Bensebaini, 26, celebrates a goal for Borussia Monchengladbach.

The talented 26-year-old Algerian left-back has made his way up to become a recognized figure in German football. His ability to play as a Centre back and also in Defensive Midfield makes him a threat and at the same time, a joy to watch. Bensebaini is among a very short list of Algerian players who have become sort of an “idol” in Algeria. Starting his journey in 2015 from the under-23, Bensebaini has 45 appearances to his belt, winning the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations and playing a huge role in their recent Arab Cup triumph. Algeria has conceded 0.7goals per match with every game he’s played. In their run to the AFCON, Algeria kept 3 clean sheets and each time, Bensebaini was on the pitch. In their World cup qualifiers, Algeria scored 25 goals but conceded 4 with him on the pitch.

The additional ingredient that makes Bensebaini a player to watch out for is his threat in the opponent’s half. His penalty record is outstanding. Scoring all 7 of the penalty he’s played. This season, Bensebaini has been involved in 5 goals in 12 appearances for Monchengladbach Including a brace against Bayern Munich, which shows that he’s not afraid of a big challenge. He always has a trick up his sleeve going forward and gives attackers headaches defensively which makes him a player to watch in the AFCON.

9. ROMAIN SAÏSS (Morocco, Wolverhampton Wanderers).

Romain Saïss, 31, is a defender who plays for the English side Wolverhampton Wanderers. He can also play as a defensive midfielder. Starting his international career journey in 2012, he has 53 appearances for his country and he has grown to be the most experienced defender in the current Moroccan national team having been part of the squad that made it to the 2018 FIFA World Cup and also been to 2 Africa Cup of Nations tournaments. He was made the team Captain after their 2019 AFCON run. He is a known threat at set-pieces. A fighter in aerial duels. He has great strength in the air and knows his way around the box in the event of a set-piece. Nicknamed the “Moroccan Maldini” by his club coach Bruno Lage due to his fighting spirit and doggedness after he scored a late winner at Brighton early in the season, Saïss has proven that time and time again by scoring late winners for both club and country. He started a recent comeback win against Aston Villa, scoring in the 80th minute and inspiring them to a 3-2 win.

His commanding presence in defence helped Morocco keep 5 clean sheets and concede only a goal in their run to the AFCON. His fighting spirit, commanding presence and experience makes him a player to watch at the AFCON.

8. YASSINE BOUNOU (Morocco, Sevilla).

Morocco and Sevilla shot-stopper Bono saves a shot.

Yassine Bounou, who is also known as “Bono” plays for La Liga giants Sevilla and the Moroccan national team. After opting to play for Morocco ahead of Canada, the 30-year-old shot-stopper has been a regular figure in between the sticks for Morocco since making his international debut in 2013. He has a total of 35 appearances for the Atlas Lions and has kept a whopping 22 clean sheets and conceded 14 goals. He kept 8 clean sheets in 9 matches, conceding just 1 goal to help Morocco to the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations.

Bono is touted as one of the best Shot stoppers in Europe with an 88% save percentage, 75% per match. He has an 81% penalty save record, and a 94% clean sheet record. Bono has some major honours in his trophy cabinet. Winning the Moroccan Botola pro 1 with country club Wydad Casablanca in 2010, he also won the Supercopa de España with Atletico Madrid in 2014. In 2020, he helped Sevilla win the Europa League, making the UEFA Squad of the Season that same year. His abilities, honours and experience make him a player to put an eye on at the 2021 AFCON.

7. TAIWO AWONIYI (Nigeria, Union Berlin).

Taiwo Awoniyi celebrates a goal for Union Berlin.

Invited to Imperial Soccer Academy by the late Nigerian footballer Seyi Olofinjana, after being voted the MVP at a Coca-Cola tournament in 2010, Awoniyi was touted as the next Rashidi Yekini, Nigeria’s highest goalscorer. Things looked bright as he won the 2013 FIFA U-17 World Cup. After winning the 2015 Africa U-20 Championship, Awoniyi signed for English giants Liverpool for a fee of around £400,000. Awoniyi career looked bleak after making that move as he was sent on loan to different clubs in different leagues across Europe. After loan spells to FSV Frankfurt, NEC, Mouscron, Gent, Mainz 05 and Union Berlin, Awoniyi finally made a permanent move to rejoin Union Berlin in July 2021.

Awoniyi seems to be enjoying a new lease of life at Union Berlin as he looks to have regained his fitness and scoring touch which earned him his first call up to the senior national team in October 2021. He has scored 14 goals and given 3 assists in 27 games for his new club. With the absence of both Victor Osimhen and Odion Ighalo at the showpiece in Cameroon, now is the time for Awoniyi to step up to the occasion and show football fans why he was regarded as the next Rashidi Yekini.

6. WILFRED NDIDI (Nigeria, Leceister City).

Nigeria’s Wilfred Ndidi rated one of the best Defensive Midfielders in the English Premier League.

Known for his defensive prowess, Ndidi has made a name for himself in the defensive midfield position, earning praise from several football fans and pundits. Since making his debut for the Senior national team in October 2015, Ndidi has racked up 43 appearances for the Super Eagles. He has garnered some experience under his belt having been to the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia and the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations. Since taking the driving seat of the Super Eagles midfield from John Obi Mikel, Ndidi has made himself a mainstay earning recognition and approval from the fans.

Ndidi played a tremendous role in Leicester City’s recent achievements. Since filling the void left by the departure of Ngolo Kanté to Chelsea, he has stepped up massively to bring in big wins for the foxes as he helped them to their first FA Cup trophy as they bear Chelsea 1-0 at Wembley Stadium. They also went ahead to win the Community Shield. His versatility cannot also be overemphasized as he can play as a centre back. The most recent was against Liverpool, where he kept a clean sheet as they beat Liverpool 1-0. His versatility, fighting spirit, doggedness and experience among others makes him a player to watch.

5. RIYAD MAHREZ (Algeria, Manchester City).

Algeria’s Riyad Mahrez was named 2016 CAF Player of the Year.

The Algerian talisman is a constant threat on the wings. Known as a natural right-winger, he can also play on the left. Known for his dribbling and freekick prowess, Mahrez always has an ace up his sleeve. He has played 70 times for the Desert Warriors scoring 24 goals and setting up 36 more. He can also play as an attacking midfielder. He gained recognition after Leicester City’s English Championship triumph in 2014. He later went on to help Leicester City win the English Premier League two years later earning him the CAF and BBC Player of the Year, PFA Player of the year, Algerian Player of the Year and PFA team of the Year among other awards.

His move to Manchester City has seen him rack up major trophies and awards, winning 2 Premier League titles and being part of the domestic treble-winning team in the 2018/2019 season never forgetting their history-making achievement of taking Manchester City to their first UEFA Champions League Final. Mahrez goes into the 2021 AFCON with an 18 goal contribution in 25 games for Manchester City. He was named IFFHS CAF World’s Best Playmaker in 2021. He single-handedly took Algeria to the final of the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations with a 90+5 minute winner against Nigeria in the Semifinal and they went on to win the tournament, their first since 1990. Mahrez is a player to watch out for in the tournament. That’s for sure.

4. SADIO MANÉ (Senegal, Liverpool).

Sadio mané was the joint top scorer in the 2018/2019 English Premier League Season.

It is no doubt that Senegal has the firepower to win the 2021 AFCON but all eyes will be on Liverpool forward Sadio Mané. Since his debut for the national team in 2012, Mané has become a figure of National glory by his display on the pitch, his philanthropic gestures as well as his achievements as a footballer. With 80 appearances to his name, Mané is the second highest goalscorer in the history of the Senegalese national team with 26 goals. He helped Senegal to the 2019 AFCON final where they lost to Algeria. Despite coming second, he was named in the Team of the Tournament and was named the 2019 African Footballer of the Year. He played a vital role in Senegal’s run to this year’s showpiece scoring 3 goals in 5 matches in the qualifiers.

His performance for English giants Liverpool cannot be ignored as he has continued to deliver the goods for the Reds. Since joining them in 2016, he won the Liverpool Player of the Season in 2017 and was included in the PFA Team of the Year for that same year. The following year, Mané helped Liverpool to the final of the UEFA Champions League where he scored the equalizer in their 3-1 defeat to Real Madrid. That feat made Mané the first Senegalese to score in the Champions League final. In 2019, Mané was named the 4th Best Player in the world and was nominated for the PFA Player of the Year and was named in the PFA Team of the Year. He was the joint top scorer that season in the Premier League sharing the feat with fellow Africans, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and fellow teammate, Mohammed Salah. Mane also helped his team to Champions League glory in 2019 and Premier League glory in 2020, their first in 30 years. All eyes will be on Mané as he looks prepared for the Showpiece. Speaking in an advert for New Balance, Mané said; “My people have waited a long time. I would trade it all to win this one. This is my time. The Lion roars.”

3. EDOUARD MENDY (Senegal, Chelsea).

Edouard Mendy won the 2021 UEFA Goalkeeper of the Year after a remarkable run with Winners Chelsea FC

After almost quitting football in 2014 and looking for jobs outside football, Edouard Mendy’s spectacular rise to football glory is quite enviable. He was opportune to try out with the Marseille reserves in 2015, playing as a backup to the Marseille reserves goalkeeper. In the 2016/2017 season, Mendy moved to Ligue 2 side Reims and got the chance to cement his place as the First choice goalkeeper who left the pitch on the opening day of the season with a finger injury. The next season, Mendy was made the first-choice goalkeeper and he kept 18 clean sheets in 34 appearances for Reims earning them promotion to the top flight. He went on to keep 14 clean sheets the next season, the third-best in the league that season and Reims finished 8th. He joined Rennes and though the season was cut short due to the COVID-19 outbreak, Mendy helped Rennes to a third-place finish and a Champions League place.

His move to Chelsea in September 2020 for a fee of around £22 Million saw him break and match different records. He kept 5 clean sheets in the Champions League group stage for Chelsea, the first in a decade. Mendy was influential in Chelsea’s Champions League success which won him the UEFA Goalkeeper of the Year and the UEFA Super Cup. Despite being eligible to play for Guinea-Bissau, France and Senegal, he pledged allegiance to Senegal despite being shortlisted by Guinea-Bissau for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations. He made his Senegal debut in November 2018 and has played 16 times for his country keeping 9 clean sheets and conceding 6 goals. He was named Senegal’s first choice Goalkeeper at the 2019 AFCON. Mendy’s commanding spirits in between the sticks and his superb abilities makes him a player with expectations at this year’s AFCON. Mendy has a save percentage of 94%, 78.5% per match. He has a massive clean sheet percentage of 99%, 54% per match. Edouard Mendy has pulled off great, unbelievable saves in his career and there’s absolutely no doubt he’ll do the same to help his country win this year’s edition.

2. SÉBASTIAN HALLER (Ivory Coast, Ajax).

Sebastian Haller has 10 goals in 6 matches in this season’s group stages of the UEFA Champions League.

He might not have a truckload of achievements but 2021 AFCON just might have received an unexpected guest. Born and bred in France to a French father and an Ivorian mother, he represented France in the Age Group tournaments. Sébastian Haller pledged his allegiance to Ivory Coast in 2020 and has played 8 times for the Elephants scoring 3 goals. Haller started making waves when he scored 15 goals and give 9 assists for Eintracht Frankfurt in the 2018/2019 Bundesliga seasonis. A feat only beaten by Robert Lewandowski with 29G/A. His move to West Ham in 2019 was marked with a disappointing spell in England.

In 2021, he moved to Ajax and he seems to be enjoying life there as his fortune has drastically changed. He is going into this tournament in hot form both in his domestic league and in Europe. In the Netherlands Eredivisie, he has scored 12 goals and given 4 assists in 17 matches. In the UEFA Champions League, Haller scored 9 goals in 5 consecutive matches becoming the first player to achieve such a feat. He scored in the final group stage match to equal Cristiano Ronaldo’s 2017/2018 record to score in all group stage matches. He became the fastest player to score 10 goals in the competition’s history with 2 assists to his name. With incredible aerial strength, Haller has scored several acrobatic bicycle kicks. He’s surely a player to watch going into this tournament.

1. MOHAMMED SALAH (Egypt, Liverpool).

Mohammed Salah was nominated for FIFA Best Award along with Robert Lewandowski and Lionel Messi

From an object of public criticism to the pinnacle of World football, Mohammed Salah is arguably the best African footballer over the past few years. Breaking records on records, he is the highest-scoring African in the English Premier League surpassing Didier Drogba tally Of 104 goals. He is Liverpool’s highest scorer in the UEFA Champions League breaking Steven Gerrard’s record of 30 goals. Mohammed Salah is a two time CAF and BBC Player of the Year, Premier League Player of the Season, PFA Players and fans Player of the Season, he has made the CAF Team of the Year four times. He has also made the PFA Premier League Team of the Year twice, came 3rd place in the 2018 UEFA men’s player of the year and the 2018 FIFA Best Award. He holds the 2018 FIFA Puskas Award, UCL Squad of the Season. His flurry of awards and records makes him arguably the greatest Egyptian to grace the sport.

The “Egyptian King” as he is nicknamed, is the Captain of the Pharaohs and has 73 appearances. Scoring 45 goals and giving 24 assists. This season, Salah has scored 23 goals in 26 games with 9 assists to his name. His speed, dribbling and immaculate finishing make him a danger to any defence making many liken him to Argentine Lionel Messi. Despite winning different awards and trophies, he has not won Africa’s biggest trophy although he came close in 2017, getting to the final in Gabon but lost to Cameroon. He has been nominated for the FIFA Best Award, contending with Robert Lewandowski and Lionel Messi. Mohammed Salah will be hoping to lead his nation to glory and all eyes will be on him.

NEWCASTLE TAKEOVER: Will the new owners make the right decisions?

… Money brings fame, but the right decisions give you the name.

Saudi Arabia’s consortium buys Newcastle United from Mike Ashley.

In modern football, financial power and not history brings respect to clubs. The latter could be argued but looking at some teams in lower divisions with rich history and no financial strength, I might well be on track. The major uproar about clubs with financial power would be the thing about “buying the league”. That might be true…in some other leagues but off the track in the English Premier League. In the Premier League, decisions seem to be the major determining factor in the competition among the financial juggernauts.

In the Bundesliga, Bayern Munich, a team worth €813.7m, €200m richer than Borussia Dortmund, has won the German Bundesliga 9 times in a row since 2012. In the French Ligue 1, Paris Saint Germain, since the Qatar Sports Investment’s takeover in 2011, has won the Ligue 1 title 7 times in 9 years. Likewise, Juventus has won the Serie A title 9 times in 10 years since 2012. It goes on in different leagues where the club with the financial firepower tends to win the domestic league as though it is their birthright. But that trend doesn’t seem to be true in the English Premier League where the competition doesn’t depend on financial power or strength only but also on structure, publicity (Media hype), fan base, and Coach and Player quality. All of which are influenced by the decisions made by the Clubs administration.

Looking at previous takeovers in the English Premier League, it is quite evident that the Premier League adapts to major financial changes. From the Chelsea takeover to that of Man City, it is evident that the Premier League cannot become a playground for just one team. Premier League teams try to at least match the player and coach qualities of teams seen as ‘Financial gods’ by trying to match up in their decision making. These decisions, which when made right, doesn’t give the ‘wealthy clubs ‘ an avenue to ‘own the league’. The decision a big or rich club makes in the Premier League influences their performance, footballing-wise. Looking at some major financial takeovers in the premier league, we see the decisions the new owners made and how they influenced the club over the years.

CHELSEA TAKEOVER.

The acquiring of the Chelsea football club by Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich in the summer of 2003/2004 season sparked a lot of media attention with many Journalists wondering and predicting how the change will affect the league. Never forget that at the time, Manchester United and Arsenal were leading the Rich club charts in the Premier League. One major decision Abramovich took that boosted the competition in the league was the appointment of Jose Mourinho, a manager who loved facing the media and had just won the Prestigious UEFA Champions League trophy with Fc Porto earlier that year.

Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich appointed Jose Mourinho as Chelsea coach after buying the club in 2003.

Roman Abramovich showed that he meant business by spending a total of £150 million in bringing in new signings from different leagues across Europe with Petr Cech, Didier Drogba Hernan Crespo, Claude Makelele, Damien Duff among the new arrivals. Mourinho wasted no time in setting up the team and won the Premier League in his first season and retained the title 12 months later. Since his takeover in 2003, Chelsea has won a total of 20 honours including 5 Premier Leagues, 2 Champions Leagues, Europa Leagues, and other trophies. He made a statement in the Premier League that he was there to dominate not by words only, but justified it by his actions. He was able to successfully break the Manchester United-Arsenal duopoly by making rugged and at the same time, serious decisions.

Chelsea lifting their second Champions League trophy under Roman Abramovich.

MAN CITY TAKEOVER.

Manchester City was bought by Sheikh Mansour for the sum of £210 million in 2008. His decision making also had a great impact on the club. The appointment of Mark Hughes, a well-known coach in the EPL and his signings of some big names like Robinho, Elano, Stephen Ireland and the likes started the new face of the club and won the FA cup 3 years later. They began to earn the respect of the English media and also that in Europe as they were vicious in the transfer market. They became the ‘noisy neighbours ‘ because of their intent and seriousness in the league, transfer market and other competition.

Sheikh Mansour bought Manchester City for £210 million in 2010

Sheikh Mansour appointed Roberto Mancini and signed Sergio Aguero from Atletico Madrid and that proved to be the beginning of their dominance domestically. They won the Premier League in 2011 through Sergio Aguero’s last-gasp winner against QPR, taking the title from Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United. Since then, City has been on a rampage in England. City has spent a whopping £1.5 billion on transfers and have won the Premier League on five occasions among others. They made history recently by getting to their Champions League final in 2021.

Man City have won five Premier League titles since their takeover in 2008.

LIVERPOOL TAKEOVER.

Liverpool was on the verge of bankruptcy and found themselves in the relegation zone when Fenway Sports Group took over ownership of the club in October of 2010. Although they managed to escape relegation, their success wasn’t immediately. The first step the new owners took was making sure they stayed up in the Premier League. They were able to pull this off by appointing club legend Kenny Daglish to replace Roy Hodgson in the dugout and also going into the transfer market that winter to get two strikers that could give them the goals they needed to stay up. They got Luis Suarez from Fc Ajax for a fee worth around $30 million. They also brought in Andy Carroll from Newcastle for a fee of $45.10 million. It paid off as they ended the season in 6th place and got to the qualifying round of the Europa League.

Fenway Sports Group took ownership of the Club in October 2010.

The next season was filled with

because although they finished 8th on the league table, they won the English Cup and got to the FA Cup final where they fell to a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Chelsea. The following seasons were sort of a roller coaster ride but their decision making in keeping faith in Brendan Rodgers and the Signings brought to the club paid off as they finished 2nd in the league. The best they’ve gotten to in the past seven seasons. That finished earned them a place in the Champions League again after missing out for some years. Although the next season saw them finish 6th in the league, they brought in German tactician Jurgen Klopp who led Borussia Dortmund to the Champions League final in 2013, to take charge of the club. That decision yielded good fruit as he led them to a 4th place finish in the league, and took them to their first Champions League final in 12 years the following where they lost to Real Madrid. The following year saw Liverpool win the UEFA Champions League io n Madrid as they defeated Tottenham Hotspurs 2-0. They also finished in second place in the league that same year. Jurgen Klopp finally made history as he guided Liverpool to their first English League glory in 30 years. Liverpool has become a force to reckon with in Europe again because of the decisions the new owners have taken over the years since their takeover.

Jurgen Klopp guided Liverpool to their first Premier League title in 30 years.

The likes of Leicester City and Wolves have experienced a massive turnaround in their fortunes due to the decisions their new owners also took after their takeover. The appointment of a coach that can compete seems to be the first step in creating a force among other clubs, next is the signings made and then other issues such as the sponsorship deals, publicity, Academy development and facility expansions usually dictate how a team can end up after major financial takeover. This is exactly what the likes of Chelsea, Man City, Liverpool, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur and most recently, Leicester City did to make them a force in the Premier League. Newcastle owners must match up with these teams in their decision making if they want to become a mainstay and revered team in the Premier League.

It looks evident based on the past precedents, that the new owners of Newcastle United, have the options available to set themselves not only as a financial power in the English top-flight but also back to past glory. The question is; will they make the right decision? The appointment of Eddie Howe as Steve Bruce’s replacement might be viewed by many as the wrong move but only time will tell if that decision is a move in the right direction.

CAN NAPOLI FINALLY ATTAIN REDEMPTION?

… As their success plan appears to be paying off. For now.

The San Paolo Stadium was renamed after Club Legend Diego Armando Maradona.

The most successful club in southern Italy with a rich history of good and successful coaches can only boast of two Serie A titles in their cabinet since their inception in 1926 with their best years coming during the days of Diego Armando Maradona. However, after the exit of Maradona in 1992 due to the cocaine scandal, other star players like Gianfranco Zola and Careca left the club. Subsequently, they experienced a downturn in their fortune and suffered enforced relegation to Serie C as a result of bankruptcy.

Fortunately, they were re-founded by film producer Aurelio De Laurentiis who made sure that they saw promotion back into the top flight and gave a statement finish that season. Navigating through hardships, they eventually became one of the top teams in Italy having a large fanbase. Though they have enjoyed some on-field successes winning the Coppa Italia titles in 2012,2014 and the most recent one in 2020, they have found it quite difficult to clinch their third Serie A title. Can this be their season?

VISIONARY

Napoli’s Film producer-President Aurelio De Laurentiis

Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis has shown himself to be quite the visionary. Restoring the club’s name to S.S.C. Napoli in 2006 and overseeing their promotion back to the Serie A in 2007. Their first time in Serie A as a reformed club. De Laurentiis quickly kicked off his long-term project by signing Ezequiel Lavezzi from San Lorenzo and Marek Hamsik from Brescia both for fees worth around €5.50m among other signings. After sacking Edoardo Reja and former Italy national team coach Roberto Donadoni in the space of seven months In 2009, he appointed former Sampdoria boss Walter Mazzarri who guided them to a sixth-place finish in the league which guaranteed them a 2010-2011 Europa League spot. De Laurentiis again made a statement of intent by signing Edison Cavani on a five-year deal for a fee worth €18m. Speaking after completing his transfer, he said;

“Cavani Is a Napoli player, Other clubs wanted him but we have got him.

“We have been after Cavani for over a month. I was always in talks with Zamparini and I can say that it wasn’t an easy deal because behind Cavani there were other prestigious clubs who wanted to sign him.

“But we closed it first, having moved early. Negotiations with Zamparini started before the World Cup, I have read many incorrect things. There were never problems surrounding his wages and image rights. We have already had for a while an understanding with both Palermo and his agent.

“I and (sporting director RiccardoBigon) worked side by side, we were calm and we were never worried by all the talk.

“We followed our path and today we are delighted to be able to give another important player to our fans.”

Cavani celebrating a Champions League goal against Manchester City.

In the 2011-2012 season, Cavani helped Napoli to a second-place finish. Sending them directly into the Champions League group stages. They had a good competition but suffered defeat in the Round of 16 at the hands of Chelsea. That season, they finished sixth but won their fourth Coppa Italia title with Cavani also on the scoresheet.

MOVING HIGHER.

After the sale of Edison Cavani to Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain for a fee worth around €64.5m In the 2013 close season, De Laurentiis spent the money wisely Landing three players among whom was Gonzalo Higuaín who joined the club from Real Madrid in a deal worth €39m. José Callejón, Pepe Reina, Raúl Albiol, and Dries Mertens also joined the club. The icing on the cake was the appointment of an established manager in Rafa Benitez to occupy the vacant seat left by Mazzarri who departed for Inter Milan.

It paid off as Napoli went on to lift the 2014 Coppa Italia trophy, winning their fifth title in the tournament by beating Fiorentina 3-1 and also finished third in the League ensuring their qualification for the Champions League.

Napoli lifting the 2014 Coppa Italia Trophy after beating Fiorentina in the Stadio Olimpico in Rome.

Napoli did not stop growing by signing players and appointing top managers with the likes of Maurizio Sarri replacing Rafa Benitez who left for Real Madrid in 2015. Sarri had a huge impact on the club guiding them to two second-place finishes in three years. He also formed one of Europe’s best midfield partnerships at the time with Jorginho as the anchor of a midfield three. Marek Hamsik to the left and Allan, a €10.3m signing from Udinese to his right. These three formed a partnership that rivaled Juventus for the League title in the 2017/2018 Season finishing with 91 points; an all-time points record for the Serie A runner-up, only four points behind winners Juventus.

Sarri also had a huge impact on Gonzalo Higuain who scored a Serie A record of 36 goals after convincing the Argentine to remain at the club in the summer of 2015. Higuain had this to say about Sarri’s influence on his success. “You don’t have to be too intelligent to understand he had a decisive role in my improvement, Sarri proved himself to be humble with everyone. He also says what he thinks and for me, honesty is the most important thing. You might not like what he says, but he’ll only say it to make you do better.” Napoli played arguably their best brand of football under Maurizio Sarri.

Maurizio Sarri and Gonzalo Higuain forged a great connection at Napoli.

Sarri’s controversial exit saw Carlo Ancelotti, another world-class manager take charge of the club.

SEARCHING FOR SUCCESS.

De Laurentiis appoints Carlo Ancelotti as Maurizio Sarri’s successor.

It was evident that De Laurentiis brought in Carlo Ancelotti for his pedigree in Italian football and his aim was clear; to compete for the League title. De Laurentiis spoke on Carlo Ancelotti’s appointment saying;

“I would like Ancelotti to stay here for many years. He is a winner and stability is good for our project”. That statement made it clear he wanted to become a consistent competitor for Scudetto. Ancelotti had a bright start to life at Napoli finishing second 11 points behind Juventus in his first season. Strengthening his squad for his second season in charge, he brought in Kostas Manolas from AS Roma for a fee of €36million, Eljif Elmas from Fenerbahce, Hirving Lozano from PSV Eindhoven, Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Alex Meret, and David Ospina from Arsenal among others. Ancelotti spoke about the club’s intent after their summer spree saying; “we’re here to win, not to go and braid our dolls’ hair. We can win the title.” Ancelotti was unable to secure the signing of James Rodriguez from Real Madrid due to De Laurentiis stance on his price tag being outrageous. A decision that might have caused a strain in their relationship.

It seemed to be the perfect transfer window for Napoli. Strengthening their squad in every department to compete for the scudetto with Juventus who also brought in Matthijs de Ligt, Adrien Rabiot, Dejan Kulusevski, and a host of other players. Surprisingly, Napoli found themselves in muddy waters. Sitting in seventh place in the league and De Laurentiis seeing that a top-four finish at the least was unlikely, used Ancelotti’s word against him sacking him on 10th December 2019, less than 18 months after his appointment despite coming off a 4-0 win against Genk to end a Nine-match winless run. The decision attracted great criticism from the football world with a lot claiming it was a mistake to sack him despite his qualification to the round of 16 of the Uefa Champions League. De Laurentiis’s ambition always has been to win the Scudetto. Sitting in seventh place Eight points off the Champions League spot and 17 points of the top wasn’t going to cut it so to others it might be a mistake but to De Laurentiis, it was what was good for the club. It was also rumored that Ancelotti had lost control of the dressing room. A “problem” De Laurentiis tried to fix by asking the players to camp in the training ground for five days, a method known as ” Ritiro” in Italy. Ancelotti also publicly disagreed with the method saying he doesn’t think such methods were effective. Ancelotti was also said to be angered by De Laurentiis’s decision to not sign James Rodriguez from Real Madrid. It is evident in football, that when such things happen between a manager and his employer, the inevitable tends to occur. Carlo Ancelotti’s case wasn’t far-fetched.

Ancelotti was sacked as Napoli Manager after a poor run of games.

FOLLOWING THE TREND… A LEAP OF FAITH?

After the search for success in Carlo Ancelotti ended in a dramatic failure, De Laurentiis decided to take a leap of faith in following the trend of clubs appointing young, upcoming, and probably “inexperienced” coaches. The appointment of Gennaro Gattuso a day after Ancelotti’s sack might not have come as a surprise to the football world. This might be as a result of other clubs’ appointment of “living legends” as their manager. The appointment of the likes of Frank Lampard of Chelsea, Mikel Arteta of Arsenal, Andrea Pirlo of Juventus, and the previous appointment of Ole Gunnar Solskjear as Manchester United manager might have been the reason behind Gattuso’s appointment.

Gennaro Gattuso succeeded Carlo Ancelotti at Napoli.

To some, the appointment of Gattuso was wide off the mark, a gamble that did not pay off but can we say that Gattuso was a failure at Napoli? It might be wrong to say such. Though there were some negatives, it is safe to say there were some brilliant moves from a manager regarded by some as an “amateur or raw”.

Gattuso’s first move in Napoli was to put an end to the ‘civil war’ in the club. This ‘civil war’ between the players led by Lorenzo Insigne and the administration of the club played a huge role in Ancelotti’s exit. Gattuso managed to bring an end to this by forming a strong bond with the partenopei captain. His straightforward personality and sincere nature made him a man the players could relate to. He was also a man young enough to understand the mentality of modern footballers, something that helped him keep the likes of Kalidou Koulibaly, Lorenzo Insigne, Arkadiusz Milik, Dries Mertens, and others at the club.

Another positive from the appointment of Ringhio was his ability to bring out the best from players who were not at their best form under the previous manager(s). A case study is that of the versatile Albanian Full back Elseid Hysaj who was regarded as one of the best full-backs in Italy under Maurizio Sarri’s reign but dropped down the pecking order under Ancelotti. Also, his patience with the new boy Hirving Lozano paid off as the Mexican began to hit his strides at the club. Fabian Ruiz also had a breakout season gaining the upper hand over Allan in Central Midfield.

Gattuso also brought in Matteo Politano from Inter Milan on loan with a loan fee of €2.5m and Fernando Llorente from Tottenham Hotspurs on a free transfer to strengthen the attack. Though they went on to finish seventh that season, there were some glimpses of hope for the following season. The confidence, play in style, and cohesion in the team was evident and they showed that by winning the Coppa Italia, edging Juventus 4-2 on penalties. This type of finish was a morale booster for the next season.

Napoli Celebrating their 2020 Coppa Italia success after edging Juventus 4-2 on penalties.

The 2020/2021 summer transfer window saw Gattuso bring in Tiemoue Bakayoko on loan from Chelsea to fix the Defensive midfield problem the previous season. He also made Andrea Petagna a mainstay in the squad after a loan spell at SPAL. The highlight of the transfer window was the Signing of Promising Nigerian Striker, Victor Osimhen from LOSC Lille for a club-record fee Of €70million bringing the search for a long-term replacement for Higuain to an end.

Gattuso’s started to show glimpses of his inexperience the previous season when he publicly called out players he felt were not giving enough on the pitch which was a direct contrast to the claim of him being a good man-manager. At the start of the new season, Napoli seemed to be a team to beat… So everyone thought after winning 8 matches out of 10. Things soon changed when Napoli lost two games in a row and Gattuso couldn’t steer his club back to consistent run of form. They were Eliminated from both the Europa League and the Coppa Italia early in the knockout stages.

The biggest struggle for Gattuso was the inability to bring out the best in Victor Osimhen. The Nigerian arrived at the club coming off a great season at LOSC Lille where he scored 18 goals and provided 6 assists in 38 games for the club scoring 13 In 27 league matches. He failed to hit the ground running in Serie A as battled with Injuries. Covid-19 hampered the Nigerian season limiting him to a tally of 10 goals in all competitions.

Osimhen struggled to impress under Gattuso.

Gattuso might have shown his trust in the 22- year old by his stating clearly in the media his faith in him but it did not help in improving the consistency of the team who finished fifth on the log behind Juventus who beat them to the Champions League spot after the partenopei picked a one-all draw with Hellas Verona on the final matchday of the season.

Gattuso sack came stating the reason was due to their missing out of the Champions League spot but it might not be out of line to say that De Laurentiis realized he might have made a mistake bringing in an Inexperienced coach when he might have had a chance for the title seeing Juventus slipping up by letting another inexperienced coach in Andrea Pirlo take over the club. Also, seeing as the management of Antonio Conte, an experienced coach with a vast knowledge of Italian Football as coach of the Nerazzurri’s paid off with them winning the scudetto for the first time in Eleven years, he simply knew that if he wants to have a chance to compete for the Serie A, he must let Gattuso go and bring in an experienced coach who knows the theatrics of Italian Football.

Redemption at last?

The appointment of Luciano Spalletti as the manager of Napoli came with a lot of expectations from the Tuscan haveing been a force to reckon with in Italian Football over the last decades. Spalletti is known for his mastery in man-management and his tactical tricks. Coming in, Spalletti had a rather quiet transfer summer bringing in Juan Jesus from AS Roma to add stability to his backline. He also brought in Andre Zambo Anguissa on loan from Fulham to fill the defensive midfield vacuum caused by injuries picked up by Diego Demme and Stanislav Lobotka in the summer.

Spalletti, known for his pragmatic approach to the game knew that some of the players only needed an extra boost to find their footing again, implemented new training methods and exercises which looked to have helped some of the players. Most evident is the blazing form of the 22-year old Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen right form preseason, scoring four goals against Anaunia and scoring two against Bayern Munich. Victor Osimhen has brought that same form into the season scoring 7 goals and providing 1 assist in 8 games so far. Victor Osimhen has also been voted the Serie A player for the month of September beating Inter’s Nicolo Barella to the award. Spalletti when asked about Osimhen said: “Osimhen is a thoroughbred bomber. He can be a super striker. He just needs to understand a few things and he’s ready to be a world-class striker”.

Osimhen starting to hit the mark in Serie A this season.

Has Spalletti turned Napoli into a force this season? With them winning their first seven matches before the October international break and picking just two draws in 12 matches so far. Although they are level on point with AC Milan going into the November International break, they seem like the most resilient team in Italy. Will it be a façade like old times or will they finally get their long search for redemption in the Serie A? Time will tell and we’ve got a lot of it.