What has gone awry for Napoli this season?

Yesterday, Napoli sealed their spot in the semi-finals of the Coppa Italia, but it was far from a convincing win.

In fact, it was a rather ugly affair, in which both teams had a man sent off and ultimately, Lorenzo Insigne’s early goal ended up being the deciding factor. The Partenopei now will face the winner of either Inter or Fiorentina. On paper, one would think they would prefer Fiorentina, but they lost 2-0 to the Viola recently, so neither opponent seems quite favorable at the moment.

It wasn’t too long ago that the same Partenopei were doggedly chasing Juventus down for the Scudetto, only to come up short at the last moment under Maurizio Sarri’s tenure. Carlo Ancelotti also looked to be a very promising appointment, but nothing came to fruition, and this season, they have struggled miserably. They are nowhere near the top four, and in fact, sit in a dismal 11th spot on 24 points. To really put things in perspective, Napoli are actually closer to the drop zone – 11 points away – than they are to the last Champions League spot, which is presently occupied by Roma, who have accumulated 38 points at this juncture.

That’s not to say they are in any danger of relegation. But fans of calcio have certainly seen it happen. Napoli are on a three game losing streak, and last season, Udinese did go from mid-table to the drop zone after going seven games sans a win, so anything is possible.

Arguably, Inter have really bolstered their squad, and Juventus are still, well, Juventus. Then there’s the case of Lazio, who have been on a serious kick in Serie A, with Ciro Immobile making a strong case for the Capocannoniere and potentially even a top scorer candidate in Europe this term. Napoli have been largely left in the dust – and injuries have caused much frustration and trouble in the ranks. There was the whole drama of a player mutiny during Ancelotti’s tenure – which he himself backed, leading to his sacking by Aurelio De Laurentiis, and now Gennaro Gattuso is trying to restore order. But will he remain at the helm for long?

Napoli are now on a tfour game home losing streak in Serie A. They will take on Juventus this Sunday and will be desperate to avoid making it five losses in a row, as that will set a rather unwanted precedent. They’ve never lost four on the trot. However, they have seemingly turned a corner, by beating Lazio midweek to shockingly dump the Coppa Italia – and Supercoppa Italiana – winners out of the competition.

Could this be the turning point for Gennaro Gattuso’s beleagured side? We will have to see, but it very well could be. Taking on Maurizio Sarri’s troops, who have been in imperious form since the start of the New Year is no easy task. Especially as they have been hit with a huge spate of injuries, which have not helped their cause one bit. But if they can get this right, it just may be onwards and upwards for a team who just can’t seem to catch a break so far this term.