It would be patronising to call Napoli’s season anything other than a disappointment. They were out of the Champions League before their Serie A campaign had even begun and have since squandered the stranglehold they once had on the third-place spot that would see them return to the top table.
On Wednesday they hit a new low, extending their recent poor run to show just a single win from nine games as they were beaten at home by Lazio and eliminated from the Coppa Italia. Thursday’s visit to Wolfsburg for the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final has taken on even greater importance in the face of their spectacular implosion over the last six weeks.
Off the field widespread doubts are being cast over Rafael Benitez’s future. It is almost perceived as fact that he won't be Napoli coach in 2015-16.
What Napoli needed more than anything on Sunday was a storming home performance to tee them up for their make-or-break night in Europe with confidence restored and hearts gladdened.
Thankfully, such a scenario was presented to them on a plate by a desperately bad Fiorentina side for whom the reviews of 2014-15 will also depend primarily on what happens in the Europa League.
Vincenzo Montella has developed a great reputation within the Italian game over recent years, but failure to beat Dynamo Kiev and have a huge say in the semi-finals would demand further reflection on what l’Aeroplanino has truly achieved with the Viola.
In a weak competition, one Coppa Italia final appearance and a failed Europa League challenge do not amount to very much.
Italian football is crying out for these two sides to make real statements in the next two weeks, and it is imperative that Napoli up their game - even from Sunday’s level - if they are to be amongst the last four names in the draw.
Dries Mertens, Marek Hamsik and Jose Callejon all netted against Fiorentina, while a Gonzalo Higuain strike which cannoned off the underside of the bar and landed over the line was ignored by the goal-line official.
Benitez will likely rely on this quartet to carry the game to Wolfsburg over the two legs, and it was great to see them all looking dangerous and confident in their final warm-up for the task to come.
But there can be no kidding that Fiorentina offered anything near the test that awaits them next. The Partenopei will have to go up another level if they are to give Dieter Hecking’s Wolfsburg side a run for their money.
When Aurelio De Laurentiis took over as Napoli president he talked of having a five-year plan to stabilise the club and lift them back into Serie A. After achieving that, he set another target for the following half-decade of regularly challenging for trophies.
"I think getting to the semi-final and the Europa League quarter-final is nothing to be sniffed at," claimed Benitez after the cup loss to Lazio.
But having collected a Coppa Italia and a Supercoppa before now, the Spaniard will be expected to end his two-year tenure at the club this summer having had a very go good at winning the Europa League at the very least.
Napoli are finally back on track, but Rafa’s legacy in Naples is yet to be determined.
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