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Serie A is back! I’m Roger Gonzalez with your Wednesday edition of the Golazo Starting XI newsletter. Let’s calcio.
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Serie A slate (all times U.S./Eastern):
- FT: Sassuolo 1, Sampdoria 2
- FT: Salernitana 1, AC Milan 2
- FT: Spezia 2, Atalanta 2
- FT: Torino 1, Hellas Verona 1
- Lecce vs. Lazio 10:30 a.m., Paramount+
- Roma vs. Bologna 10:30 a.m., CBS Sports Network/Paramount+
- Cremonese vs. Juventus 12:30 p.m., CBS Sports Network/Paramount+
- Fiorentina vs. Monza 12:30 p.m., Paramount+
- Calcio e Cappuccino studio coverage, 2:30 p.m., CBS Sports Network/Paramount+
- Udinese vs. Empoli 2:45 p.m., Paramount+
- Inter Milan vs. Napoli 2:45 p.m., Paramount+
- Calcio e Cappuccino studio coverage, 4:45 p.m., Paramount+
⚽ The Forward Line
Serie A leaders Napoli look to continue Cinderella run
CBS Sports
The years of Juventus dominating Serie A appear to be in the rearview mirror, and that is great news for one of the best leagues in the world. After AC Milan’s run to the title last season, it appears that the clear-cut favorites are Napoli, coached by Luciano Spalletti. They face Inter Milan at 2:45 p.m. ET on Paramount+.
If you need a refresher, this team has not won the Scudetto since the days of Diego Maradona in 1990, and was not really expected to be a title contender due to all of the summer departures. Yet here they are — the last undefeated team in Europe’s big five leagues with a 13-2-0 record. Nobody in the world was playing better before the World Cup. It’s not exactly a Leicester City-like miraculous run, but they were around +1200 to win the league before the start of the season. And it’s a wild story when you consider how close the club was to winning in recent seasons with a squad that was, at least on paper, much more talented and experienced than this group.
Since 2010, Napoli have finished in second place four times and in third three more times. In fact, in the 2017-18 season, Napoli recorded 91 points, but they still finished four back from champions Juventus. Those 91 points would have been enough to win the league most other years. Milan won the league with 84 last season.
Napoli in the offseason lost club icons Kalidou Koulibaly (Chelsea), Lorenzo Insigne (Toronto FC), Dries Mertens (Galatasaray) and more, including star midfielder Fabian Ruiz (PSG). It was not a rebuilding project at all though — instead, a revival for what’s the best Napoli we’ve seen in decades.
They knocked some transfers out of the park, particularly Georgian winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, with the 21-year-old having scored eight goals in 17 games. South Korean center back Min-jae Kim is an absolute force, and even backup forward Giovanni Simeone has come on lately with six goals in 13 games. Add that to an already fine foundation, and you’ve got a true contender, maybe even in Europe. Napoli won Group A in the Champions League, crushing the likes of Liverpool, Ajax and Rangers in the process. The Italian club scored 20 goals in the group stage, more than any team, and have a manageable round of 16 matchup against Frankfurt. They’ve never reached the quarterfinals before.
This team just feels different. There is a unity and a belief, and there is an unbelievable opportunity in front of them. They have a massive chance on Wednesday to make yet another statement.
A win will far from secure the league, but three points to kick off 2023 will continue to see them with all the momentum in the race.
🔗 Midfield Link Play
The USMNT drama continues
Getty Images
It was an eventful day for U.S. Soccer. With manager Gregg Berhalter out of a contract and no new announcement as to who will be coaching the United States men’s national team moving forward, Tuesday’s statement from U.S. Soccer was about as far away from a coaching announcement as expected. Earlier in the day, a new Twitter account belonging to Berhalter detailed a “physical” altercation between the manager and his now-wife back in 1991.
“In the fall of 1991, I met my soulmate. I had just turned 18 and was a freshman in college when I met Rosalind for the first time. There was a familiar feeling when we spoke,” Berhalter said in a statement released on Twitter. “Rosalind was and is an amazing person — determined, empathetic, fun to be around — and we connected immediately. It felt like we had known each other for years. We had been dating for four months when an incident happened between us that would shape the future of our relationship. One night, while drinking at a local bar, Rosalind and I had a heated argument that continued outside. It became physical and I kicked her in the legs.”
As terrible as that is, the situation got even more bonkers when the U.S. Soccer Federation said in a statement that they were conducting an investigation into “potential inappropriate behavior towards multiple members of our staff by individuals outside of our organization.”
That was because of an alleged blackmail attempt, it seems.
“During the World Cup, an individual contacted U.S. Soccer saying they had information about me that would take me down,” Berhalter said in his statement.
There are more questions than answers, but this is not an ideal way to start 2023. Ex-USMNTer Heath Pearce, who represents one third of the In Soccer We Trust podcast crew, expects this to really unfold today. We’ll also supposedly know shortly who will be leading the team this month, according to Men in Blazers’ Roger Bennett. The U.S. will face Serbia on Jan. 25 and Colombia on Jan. 28, using what is expected to be largely MLS-based teams.
Let’s get to some more links:
💰 The Back Line
Best bets
One Serie A bet centered around the Napoli game and another from the Premier League. All odds courtesy of Caesars Sportsbook.
- Napoli vs. Inter Milan, Wednesday, 2:45 p.m. ET:
💰 THE PICK: Over 2.5 goals (-140) — This one is fairly simple. In eight of Napoli’s last 10 games, including friendlies, over 2.5 goals has hit. Napoli have been involved in two seven-goal games this season, one six-goal game this season and five seven-goal games this season. They are capable of scoring three on their own. In their last meeting, it ended 1-1, but in the one before that, it finished 3-2. You can follow Jon Eimer’s pick here on SportsLine. - Crystal Palace vs. Tottenham, Wednesday, 3 p.m. ET:
💰 THE PICK: Both teams to score (-125) — Tottenham have conceded in 12 of their last 13 games, and they are coming off a match where they failed to score against Aston Villa. Desperate for a win and hungry to push the top four, they’ll take some risk going forward knowing that they are in danger of falling out of contention before long. You can follow Martin Green’s pick here on SportsLine.
