Before Sunday afternoon’s kickoff between Napoli and Fiorentina, the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium had never looked brighter. Perhaps it did, but after two years marred by empty stands, the pre-Covid world feels like a distant memory. And yet, the Partenopei crowds must have felt like watching a rerun from a frightening episode they had witnessed four years ago.
On the back of a convincing away victory over Atalanta in the previous round, the Azzurri’s morale was at an all-time high. Things only gotten better following Milan’s stalemate at home against Bologna, and although Inter earned a scrappy Derby d’Italia win, the momentum was still in Napoli’s favor.
The southerners’ Scudetto aspiration had never been so high. Not since Kalidou Koulibaly nodded a late winner at the Allianz Stadium in April 2018. Their loyal fanbase remember that night too well. Maurizio Sarri and his men had secured a pivotal win at the den of their title rivals, and the rest of the country was ready to announce the end of the Juventus era.
At the time, Napoli fans even gave their players a heroes’ welcome upon their glorious return to Campania. However, the southern city’s big dream was only meant to last for one week.
Sounds familiar?
For the second time in four years, Fiorentina were welcomed by a joyous Maradona Stadium, only to leave a despaired city in their wake. The purple side only needed 90 minutes to wreck the Partenopei’s morale, proving their expertise in this particular task.
Four years ago, it was Giovanni Simeone who piled the misery with an unanswered personal hattrick following a disastrously early dismissal to Koulibaly, turning the Senegalese from hero to zero in the space of one week.
This time, Napoli put up a fight against Vincenzo Italiano’s men. After all, it was an 11 vs 11 contest for 90 minutes, and the southerners had no excuse to justify a collapse. But at the end of the day, Fiorentina were the better side, and despite the hosts’ two goals, they once again managed to score thrice and leave the stadium formerly-known as the San Paolo with all three points.
So despite some differences in details, both encounters share a string of similarities. But perhaps the biggest coincidence resides in the identities of the two Napoli managers – In 2018, it was Maurizio Sarri, while last weekend, Luciano Spalletti was the man in charge.
During his time at the club, Napoli supporters fondly nicknamed Sarri “Comandante” as a sign of their affection towards the manager at the time. But while one might easily mistaken the so-called Commander for a southerner, the current Lazio boss is of Tuscan origins, an aspect he shares with Spalletti. In fact, Luciano was born and raised in Certaldo in the province of Florence.
So while both tacticians succeeded in making the Neapolitans dreams for a brief while, both of their fairytale stories reached an abrupt end at the hands of Tuscany’s ultimate club.
Superstition is a common trend in Italy, and perhaps some might start believing in a Tuscan curse that prevents the region’s finest managers from achieving greatness south of the peninsula. Maybe this is why the purple army comes down haunting anytime one threatens to secure glory away from his original home.
For Sarri, it is now too late to undo the spell, with the defeat at Fiorentina proving to be the bane of his time at Napoli. But a glimmer of hope remains for Spalletti. After all, the Partenopei are only two points away from the lead at the moment.
Therefore, Lucky Luciano can still overcome all obstacles and lift the greatly-anticipated trophy at Napoli, even if the mission requires defying the odds, overtaking formidable opponents and perhaps even breaking a damning curse.