Napoli vs Espanyol
As the Serie A and La Liga big guns continue to do their fine tuning we have another fascinating pre-season clash to look forward to when Club Friendly: Napoli vs Espanyol kicks off on Sunday.
Napoli have slipped to fifth favourites to win the 2022/23 Scudetto, at a price of 15.00, and behind Jose Mourinho’s Roma. In fact my SBOTOP colleague picked Gli Azzurri out as one of the teams most likely to disappoint in the coming campaign.
Head coach Luciano Spalletti will tell his players to ignore the pre-season Serie A Liga 2022 betting odds and give their answers on the pitch. He needs to do his last bit of tweaking in this clash with Espanyol and the Spaniards will provide a good test for the Italians.
The main reason that Napoli fans are edgy and pundits are watchful is the disappearance of three of the club’s biggest names. The departure of talisman Lorenzo Insigne and then Kalidou Koulibaly’s transfer to Chelsea has shaken up the city and their team has also lost long term striker Dries Mertens. The 35 year old ran down his contract and is now considering a lucrative offer from Turkish giants Galatasaray.
Spalletti wanted to keep the Belgian at the club as he starts to rebuild. “Let’s be clear, it wasn’t me. It wasn’t the club that didn’t want him with us,” said the head coach; “Mertens could have given us a big hand. But the club made him an offer and he didn’t accept. I keep myself out of these dynamics and that’s right.”
As part of Spalletti’s response to losing three experienced and key players, he has given the captain’s armband to right back Giovanni Di Lorenzo. The 29 year old is the right man to lead the team, a strong character with great football technique, stamina and a physical presence. He’s a versatile player, able to operate in defensive midfield or in a further advanced role.
And Napoli may have found their replacement for former skipper Insigne on the playing front as the club is increasingly confident of landing 22 year old Sassuolo forward Giacomo Raspadori. Like Insigne he’s a clever and quick player, not the biggest and with a low centre of gravity, and able to work in tight spaces. Raspadori has already made 13 appearances for Italy and he would be the ideal Number 10 to work just behind striker Victor Osimhen.
Can Espanyol hold on to De Tomas?
After a 27-year stay in the top flight, Espanyol were relegated in 2020, a drop which sent shock waves around Catalonia. But they bounced back at the first attempt and are working hard to establish themselves as a top flight club once more. Head coach Diego Martinez guided Los Periquitos to 14th place last term and they have a good chance of finishing mid table in the coming campaign.
But Espanyol are in danger of losing their prize asset.
Centre forward Raul de Tomas has scored 44 goals in 85 appearances for Espanyol, and looked very much at home in the Primera Division last season, bagging 17 goals in 34 league appearances. Only Karim Benzema scored more, with Iago Aspas and Vinicius Junior matching De Tomas’ tally in joint second place.
With a season like that behind him De Tomas has attracted a lot of attention and, as a graduate of the Real Madrid academy; he has expressed a desire to return to the Santiago Bernabeu at some stage of his career. And now might be the time as Los Blancos are looking for a second striker to challenge for a place alongside Benzema.
De Tomas didn’t break into the first team in his first stint at Madrid, and was sold to Benfica in 2019 but, over the past two campaigns, he has matured immeasurably to become a lethal finisher, which has not gone unnoticed by Los Blancos head coach Carlo Ancelotti.
The asking price will be around 30m Euros.
Premier League club Arsenal initially showed an interest in De Tomas following the transfer of Alexandre Lacazette to Lyon. But the Gunners quickly signed Gabriel Jesus from Manchester City and the Premier League attention now seems to be coming from Aston Villa and big spenders Newcastle United.
They have been in the shadow of Barcelona for decades; the Blaugrana have made the La Liga 2022 news this summer with some big name signings and a pre-season El Clasico win. Espanyol would dearly love to write some of their own headlines this season, but they must take it season by season and build gradually.
The loss of Raul de Tomas would surely be a backwards step.
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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