Napoli finished one place lower than they did last season under Maurizio Sarri but it would be harsh to look at their campaign under those terms. It started off in the worst possible fashion as they were given a offer that they simply couldn't afford to refuse when Juventus bid a staggering €90million for star striker Gonzalo Higuain and the man who scored a record 36 goals in Serie A last season left to join the Partenopei's closest title rivals. It was a real kick in the teeth for the supporters who weren't exactly enamoured with Arkadiusz Milik being brought in as Higuain's replacement. The Pole started quite well though but a serious injury halted his momentum. Napoli were without a recognised centre-forward and it looked as though they were really feeling the effects of that as they won just once in November. Dries Mertens was asked to fill the void up front and although he initially struggled in the new role, he eventually thrived in it...and then some! The Belgian transformed himself into an out-and-out goal machine and by the end of the season, he'd scored an incredible 28 league goals, just one behind eventual Capocannoniere, Edin Dzeko. The Belgian helped the fans forget about Higuain but he was supported by an equally able cast of Lorenzo Insigne and Jose Callejon who scored 32 league goals combined along with countless assists. Napoli were the most prolific team in Serie A with a whopping 94 goals scored in total. However, there were still issues at the back which probably ultimately cost them a title challenge. Nevertheless, the Partenopei finished 5 points better off than they did last season and pushed Roma all the way until the final day for 2nd place, eventually finishing just one point behind the Giallorossi. They also performed well in the Champions League and produced two strong outings against current European champions Real Madrid before eventually going out. They will be back in that tournament next season and Sarri will hope he doesn't have to sell any more of his best players as this squad has clicked nicely.
