Hope abounds this summer in Naples and for once, it isn't Edinson Cavani trying to balance it all on his shoulders. Cavani has since left the Napolitano club, but has been sufficiently replaced by a strong stock of new talent.
Veteran midfielder Valon Behrami has admitted that there will be a significant increase in pressure for him and his Napoli to deal with throughout the campaign. Having finished second last season the fans will be wanting something more.
"We are a squad that has been built to do well."
In an interview with the Corriere del Ticino, Behrami said, "We are a squad that has been built to do well, the unknown will come from the desire of the fans who will no longer be happy with second place.”
While there will be more pressure on the squad this time around, there are a bunch of new faces in Naples to help bear the burden. Dries Mertens, Gonzalo Higuain, and Raul Albiol are just a few of the additions that will be helping achieve results.
Behrami, who joined the club last summer and enjoyed a productive season, was quick to add that “It will be a long and hard season, with an autumn that will be packed with fixtures."
That aside, this looks to be a promising season for Napoli as they reloaded in attack, and kept the core of the squad together. Expectations are sky high, and they should be; Rafa Benitez's squad looks poised to make a very good run.