Welcome to the r/sscnapoli Weekly Discussion!

Not sure if anyone had seen it yet, but our crest is featured pretty prominently on the cover art for FC27. Although there are many other clubs present, I believe we are the only Seria A club in the image.

Watched the first half, my impressions so far.

- Meret had to come off and apparently he already had a taped hand below the glove wtf.
- We are using a 3-4-2-1 when in possession, as the play slides in between the central defenders.
- Prisco has been the playmaker and easily the best man on the pitch along with Alisson, who has dribbled his opponents quite easily.
- Di Lorenzo has been quite offensive when in possession.
- When Arezzo was in possession, we defended with a 4-4-2. The left mezzala (Lindstrom today, so it should be KDB or Vergara) slides next to Hojlund to press the opponents.
- Haven't seen much of Allegri's infamous deep defending so far, but not super aggressive either.
- I'm tired of Cerri scoring against us every year lol.

Today was the first friendly of the training camp, coincidentally against the usual Arezzo. Let's examine the two halves of the match separately.

1st Half:

Rafa Marin allows an avoidable cross to Arezzo, who heads it to Meret, who, for his part, is unable to control his hands and puts it into the net. Allegri is so embarrassed that he benches him in the 30th minute. Alisson and Giovane are polar opposites: one does everything right, sprints and dribbles, the other barely controls the ball. The midfield is rather anonymous, but it's nice to see Prisco starting; he's young and could soon aspire to the top teams. The Danes are rather anonymous. Lindstrom tries to make some plays, but it seems Hojlund is blinded and never allows him to give and go.

2nd Half

From a corner, Arezzo scores after an initial response from VMS to a great volley. The defense is immobile, Allegri also changes VMS to bring on Contini. In the 59th minute, Vergara sprints, steals the ball in the box, and is fouled. Politano misses from the penalty spot, but he slams it home on the rebound. In the 90th minute, the defense is once again immobile, while Arezzo attacks them from the center. As for the individual players, Vergara runs a lot, gives it his all, but finishes little. Lucca creates a lot and seems like a spinning top with so many turns. He does much better than Hojlund, passes, and plays as a team, then gets hurt... and what the hell. Rao plays on the left but is rarely served, although a few runs down the flank are promising. The defense is already described as embarrassing.

That said, I want to say that even if it's a friendly, they could at least let the shoulder charges go; practically half of Napoli's moves were stopped because of this. What else can I say? It's only a friendly, but certainly not a pleasant one. Some players seem in good condition, at least that's what I can say, but it will take time. Let's hope for a better show next time.

Best players: Prisco, Allison, Lucca (???)

Worse players: Hojlund, Meret, All the 2nd half defense

FNS💙

As you well know, Buongiorno gave us some great news: yet another injury that will keep him sidelined for a long time. The season hasn't even started yet, and we've already had our first casualties, especially in a position currently lacking reliable players.

There's a rumor though... from some people that i trust in the matter

That a certain Asian giant we know might be available for a loan. Obviously, this is just speculation for now, but I can't help but be quite excited about the idea. What do you think? Would you bring Kim Min Jae back to Napoli on a paid loan?

I live in America and want to watch

Come sappiamo il 1 Agosto 2026 è la data del centenario del Napoli fondato ufficialmente il 1 Agosto 1926

E il Napoli insieme al Comune e alla Regione che mette quasi mezzo milione di euro, ha organizzato una grande festa per l'occasione

Purtroppo però da varie fonti non si capisce bene la data in cui verrà effettuata questa festa, perchè molte dicono il 1 Agosto (sabato) che avrebbe senso, se non fosse che sono previsti fuochi d'artificio alle 24:00 che non avrebbero molto senso come aspettare il giorno dopo per festeggiare un compleanno

Ho letto pure di 2 feste separate, una organizzata dal Napoli, una dagli ultras, che avrebbe piu senso tipo una fiaccolata degli ultras il 31 sera e quella ufficiale il 1 sera, ma non riesco a trovare niente di definitivo

Qualcuno ha le idee più chiare e mi può aiutare?

What I’m writing is a summary of what a neapolitan journalist that is in Dimaro is reporting and what some friend that went to Dimaro told me.

About the defense

Beukema is injured as well and he’s training to sustain the Achille’s tendinitis that he has.

Hence, in training Rafa Marin has been tested to play alongside Amir as a LCB. Marianucci has never been considered a viable option and he will most probably leave the team this summer either on loan or permanently.

Napoli is working on a CB but since both Buongiorno and Beukema are considered available during the season the rumors are about either keeping Rafa Marin or getting a young CB like Thiago Gabriel from Lecce or similar profiles.

Spinazzola is working as a LB as Gutierrez. The spanish player is training and looking very good I’ve been told.

Midfield

Anguissa is in great shape both physically and mentally. He’s among the most cheerful with fans and is very inspired during training. Everyone is reporting that he’s very happy and constantly talking with Allegri. Seems very difficult that he can leave.

Vergara is playing as Mezzala. McTominay role to be clear. It’s not a new role for him and he’s positively impressing the journalists in that role during training.

Lindstrom is by far the best performing player in Dimaro. However since we have so many midfielders and we lack one physical player other than Anguissa he will not stay here. Many rumors about relegation sides in Germany that wants him on loan + option.

Attacking roles

Giovane has been tested as a lone striker in the 433 formation. He will probably stay as the 3rd option in that role unless a good offer arrives.

Politano has been playing his old role as a LW. Nothing new here he will play with Neres on that wing or with the player that will come in place of Neres if he will go.

Lucca is working a lot with a specific coach from Allegri’s staff. Honestly on Lucca every source is saying anything and its opposite. The only thing for certain is that is doing a lot of training with a specific coach every day.

How we doin all?

I’m usually tapped in with Napoli during our off-seasons but this year I’ve just been a bit busy to keep up with everything.

I have seen that there has been a lot of discussions on the future of Vergara. I’m a little confused to as what the discussions are? He should be a part of the project after what we’ve seen from him. So not sure if they are struggling to re-sign him or what’s going on there.

The latest I’ve seen is Buongiorno is injured again. At this point i think they should look at other options. You can’t put your faith in him at this point. He’s too fragile.

Other than that I feel pretty behind on things.

Any transfer targets/ departures yall are up to date on?

Take care all.

Both Vergara and Meret were among the ones that were rumoured to leave for most of the summer, but apparently they are staying.

- Vergara said he's 'close' to re-signing. Source: Vergara e il rinnovo con il Napoli: le parole che esaltano i tifosi

- Meret said he 'feels trusted' and he's happy to stay. Napoli, Meret: "Con Allegri lavoriamo tanto con la palla. Futuro? Sento fiducia, voglio restare"

No words on/from Anguissa, but multiple sources revealed that he seems quite motivated and that Allegri is spending a lot of time with him during training.

So I’m a relatively new Napoli fan (2023) so I wasn’t around when fabian was here so I want to know everyone’s thoughts, did you cheer for him tonight or at least be happy when he won or do you not think about him so much anymore?

TBH I also don’t really know how good he was or how much of an impact he made and I don’t hear him brought up too much it’s typically mertens, insigne, hamsik etc.

I want to know if my excitement at his victory was justified or if you guys didn’t care at all

ADL didn’t renew his contract unfortunately…

I am not specifically talking about the Meret and VMS duo, I generally mean that having 2 potential starters as GK is ideal, especially if you cannot afford one of the top 5/10 keepers in the world. 3 main reasons for that.

1. It keeps them motivated. That 'thriving on confidence' concept could be applied to all the other roles too, not just to the keeper.
   
2. After last year, I am very paranoid about injuries lol.
   
3. A specific game might require a specific keeper. Match analysts should be on top of this. I'd play VMS against teams that like to press or against teams that use a lot of high crosses. While Meret would probably be more fit against team that are good on corners or shoot from inside the box, because he's got better reflexes.

During the first training session, Allegri hosted a short friendly and both teams used a 4-3-3.

Blue Team
Meret, Mazzocchi, Rrahmani, Marin, Spinazzola, Folorunsho, Hasa, Vergara, Politano, Lucca, Allison.

Yellow Team
Savic, Di Lorenzo, Marianucci, Obaretin, Gutierrez, Anguissa, Lobotka, Lindstrom, Giovane, Hojlund, Rao.

The team in yellow won 3-0, thanks to a Hojlund brace and a goal from Lindstrom too. Lindstrom played as a mezzala.

From Fabrizio Romano's transfer video, it appears Boca has rejected the €10 million offer for Zeballos, also demanding guarantees on the resale. I don't know about you, but this negotiation has reached comical levels:

A player worth less than €10 million, with a horrendous injury history, a contract that expires in six months, and with an absolute desire to move to a specific club, how can Boca even add demands? I've always hated fans who demand a team bow to their team's offers, but this is ridiculous. If I were Manna or who is doing the job for him, I'd leave a timer on the table of the trading that expires on New Year's Eve 2027:

"By that date, we'll have Zeballos, with or without your approval."

Since nobody is talking about it in this sub, I wanted to let everyone know—especially the fans outside of Italy who might have missed the news—that we made our first signing. It’s a perspective signing coming from Sorrento: Mattia Esposito (he’s 18 years old, an attacking midfielder who is very strong at dribbling and technique). The deal is worth around 500k-600k euros, beating competition from Atalanta, Inter, and Cagliari. He signed a 5-year contract, plus at the end of each year for the next 3 years, the club can extend it by one year to bring it back up to 5, basically making it an 8-year contract. He will be loaned out to Bari to continue his development. His backstory is quite unique: he had never played for an official youth academy until he was 13; after a trial with Sorrento, the club decided to bet on him. The signing was handled personally by President Aurelio De Laurentiis, who contacted Sorrento’s president directly and blew past the competition by offering double. The deal was made easier thanks to good relations with his agent, Giuffredi (for those who don’t know, he is the same agent as Vergara and Di Lorenzo).

Goalkeepers

• Contini
• Meret
• Milinkovic-Savic
• Pugliese

Defenders

• Beukema
• Di Lorenzo
• Marianucci
• Rafa Marin
• Mazzocchi
• Obaretin
• Garofalo
• Rrahmani
• Spinazzola
• Gutierrez

Midfielders

• Anguissa
• Vergara
• Folorunsho
• Gilmour
• Lobotka
• Iaccarino
• Hasa
• Prisco

Forwards

• Alisson Santos
• Giovane
• Hojlund
• Lindstrom
• Lucca
• Neres
• Pereyra
• Politano
• Rao
• Barido

SSCN | I convocati del ritiro di Dimaro - SSC Napoli

If we do not consider the players that are still on holiday due to the World Cup, a few youngsters/fringe academy players and the injured Buongiorno (sigh), these are the ones that were not even called up for pre-season training:
- Ambrosino
- Cheddira
- Cajuste
- Ngonge
- Zerbin

I mean, they called up Lindstrom!?!

Well, that was quick.

I think these T-Shirts on the store will possibly resemble what the new kits look like. I don't know if i'm insane or not.