The season of Giacomo Raspadori with Napoli this season, without mincing too many words, he was a walk-on. For this reason the occasion, although sad for the Azzurri and for Kvicha Kvaratskhelia, is still tempting for the former Sassuolo player. The last time he spoke about it, the Campania sporting director, Giovanni Manna, was clear about what the Italian national team’s January will be like. “Unfortunately, not playing every 3 days can become an advantage over time but for some players it can be difficult to find playing time. Giacomo is a strong player who we believe in even if he now has less space. We don’t want to deprive ourselves of strong players and he is a central player.”
Will it be like this?
What is certain is that Kvaratskhelia’s stop is heavy for the immediate future, it seems like a month without the Georgian for Antonio Conte, but not one of those that forces us to overturn plans for the entire season. Four games? Five? The Azzurri have such a large squad up front that there is little to despair about but just to roll up your sleeves and find solutions. The first: David Neres. The Brazilian will move from the right to the left, leaving Matteo Politano as the starter on his natural out, with the former Benfica and Shakhtar player playing on the left from the start. And Raspadori? Here’s the doubt. The opportunity is unrepeatable, to relaunch and convince Conte to let him move up the hierarchy. But when is Kvara coming back? And how to keep Neres out?
Large rose but without cups
Juventus would welcome someone like Raspadori with open arms. Napoli knows this and for this reason they would like to lock him up. Having him play now would mean calming down the boiling spirits that could emerge in January. But then the problem risks recurring. The opportunity seems only pro tempore, Conte’s hierarchies already established. And without European Cups, thinking of having such a large squad is indeed boasting and proud, but also a factor that inevitably some long-snouted people risk creating. Not yet. But history teaches it.