A quintet of players from runaway league leaders Napoli will be present at the most controversial and divisive World Cup ever staged and Stephen Kasiewicz predicts what to expect from them in Qatar.
Defensive leader Kim Min-jae (South Korea), left-back Mathías Olivera (Uruguay), midfielders Piotr Zieliński (Poland) and André-Frank Zambo Anguissa (Cameroon) and forward Hirving Lozano (Mexico) are all expected to play significant roles for their respective nations in Qatar.
Whether the involvement of the Partenopei regulars derails the Campania club’s Scudetto charge is best left to pundits who claim to have more foresight than Nostradamus. Yet it definitely seems an unwanted interruption for the Serie A table-toppers after they established an eight-point advantage in first place on the back of a thrilling 11-game winning run.
While it might be looking at the prospects of Napoli’s World Cup participants through the eyes of a pessimist, all five could be on a plane back to Italy before the knock-out rounds of the competition. None of Luciano Spalletti’s stellar quintuple represents countries favoured to progress to the latter stages of the tournament.
Teammates will become opponents as Zieliński, and Lozano square off when Poland and Mexico meet in Group C. Argentina should canter to first place in a section which also contains rank underdogs Saudi Arabia. Although it seems anything is possible in one of the most open and unpredictable World Cups in history. The Poles last made it out of the group stage in 1986 and will rely on Zieliński to continue his excellent goalscoring form and supply talisman Robert Lewandowski with chances up front.
Mexico counts on Lozano to perform far more than Napoli and the speedy winger will be one of the key men for a country which has made it to the round of 16 in the previous seven competitions. Anguissa has been a revelation for Spalletti in midfield and faces an almighty challenge with Cameroon in Group G. World Cup heavyweights Brazil and the European duo of Switzerland and Serbia make up a formidable section. The five-time African Cup of Nations champions are capable of producing a shock but even with the brilliant Anguissa, they look under-equipped to make it out of a tough group.
Kim made a sincere public apology for a rare error which led to a Udinese goal in last weekend’s 3-2 victory, but he hardly needed to say sorry after making a superb opening to the season.
The South Korean will face off against club colleague Olivera when the Taeguk Warriors take on Uruguay in Group H. Neither nation can be overly confident about qualification in a class of four with clear favourites Portugal and talented outsiders Ghana. Spalletti could welcome them all back to the south of Italy after the group games end on December 2.
Regardless, the fact that only five squad members will be present in Qatar means that the bulk of the first-team regulars can rest and recuperate. League-leading goalscorer Victor Osimhen (Nigeria) and outstanding winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (Georgia) opted not to participate in friendly matches with their national teams absent from the World Cup. A host of others will be involved in other practice fixtures but will still have plenty of time to recharge their batteries.
By the time Serie A resumes on January 4, 2023 – when the Partenopei face Inter in a potentially season-defining fixture at San Siro – Napoli are expected to have a fully fit pool of players. The phenomenal Kvaratskhelia, who has inevitably been linked with the bottomless money pit of the English Premier League, should have made a full recovery from the back strain that kept him out of the wins over Atalanta, Empoli and Udinese.
READ MORE: ALL SERIE A AND SERIE B PLAYERS APPEARING AT THE WORLD CUP
Long-term injury absentee Amir Rrahmani will also be in contention to return after sustaining a thigh injury at Cremonese in early October.
Kim has assumed the responsibility of senior partner in central defence with Rrahmani out. In his first season in Italy the South Korean has excelled beyond all reasonable expectations with Juan Jesus and Leo Østigård as alternating defensive collaborators.
Neither the Brazilian or Norwegian has been entirely convincing and come January, there is a definite need for back-four cover.
The non-stop grind of the rumour mill has the Partenopei connected with young midfielders Lazar Samardžić (Udinese) – who pounced on the rare Kim mistake to score – and Khéphren Thuram (Nice) however it is in the middle of defence and at right-back that new recruits are required.
Kim and Rrahmani have already proved they are a redoubtable pairing but another seasoned centre-back would provide a layer of extra stability as a gruelling second half of the campaign beckons next year.
Club captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo has been an irreplaceable paragon of consistency, but a more experienced understudy is needed, with back-up Alessandro Zanoli not fully ready to fill in if and when required.
Elif Elmas has proven he is a worthy starter on the wing or in midfield despite jokingly professing his love of the bench. While Tanguy Ndombele, Giacomo Raspadori and Giovanni Simeone have already shown their class in midfield and attack as part of the starting line-up or as impact substitutes.
Although it might seem like nit-picking with Napoli clear at the table summit and in the Champions League elimination stages, new additions could make the difference as they contend for a first Scudetto in 32 years.
Not since the days of legendary World Cup winner Diego Maradona has there been as much genuine belief that the club can end a long wait for a third title. Barring a miracle, none of the Napoli players will emulate Diego in Qatar but their healthy return is imperative as the Partenopei refocus their efforts to stay ahead of the chasing pack at the top of Serie A.