Napoli won their first Scudetto in 33 years back in 2023 and currently find themselves fighting to win their second title in three years.
Antonio Conte’s side are second in Serie A and find themselves three points behind reigning champions Inter Milan. Despite starting the season in red-hot form, Napoli have no doubt declined in the second half of the season and have won just one of their last seven games.
As a result, questions have understandably been asked about why Napoli’s form has dropped off recently. A possible reason for their decline could be that they lost their best player and have struggled to replace him.
In January, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia swapped Naples for Paris as he joined Paris Saint-Germain for a reported fee of £59 million. The Georgian had become somewhat of an icon at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona and had even been given the nickname ‘Kvaradona’ due to his dazzling dribbling ability being reminiscent of Napoli legend Diego Maradona.
How has Kvaratskhelia fared this season?
It has been another impressive season for the Georgian who has 14 goal involvements in 33 games in all competitions. For PSG, Kvaratskhelia has played 14 games, scoring twice and registering two assists.
Before moving to the French giants in January, the forward had eight goal involvements in 19 games for Napoli this season.
How have Napoli coped since Kvaratskhelia’s departure?
Perhaps the best way to see how vital Kvaratskhelia was to Napoli is to look at how they have performed since he left. One day after his move, Napoli defeated Atalanta 3-2 to move six points clear at the top of Serie A.
However, statistically, Antonio Conte’s side have regressed without Kvaratskhelia. With him, Napoli averaged 2.35 points per game (PPG) and scored an average of 1.6 goals per game. Since his departure, Napoli have dropped down to second place and are scoring fewer goals. Their PPG is now just 1.55 and they score an average of 1.44 goals per game.
What is perhaps most striking is the impact his departure has had defensively. With Kvaratskhelia, Napoli were conceding less than a goal per game with an average of 0.6. However, since he left, they are now conceding more with an average of 1.22 per game.
Overall, a decline may not solely be down to Kvaratskhelia leaving, but it is clear that without him, Napoli have struggled. While the Scudetto is certainly not out of their reach, it is obvious that they need to improve if they are to beat a seemingly unstoppable Inter side to the title. Napoli could get back on track in their next match which is at home to AC Milan on Sunday the 30th of March.