Napoli: Three hopes, one fear

Hope #3: That Marek Hamsik can find a partner in the midfield.

Hamsik has been the rock of the Napoli for close to a decade now, making 409 appearances for the side across all competitions. At 29 years old Hamsik has done pretty much everything for the side, from playing as a center midfielder to a striker to a winger and excelled at every position. If there was a Mr. Napoli he would certainly be in the running for it.

The key for Napoli is to find someone who can work seamlessly with Hamsik in the midfield. Although he is just 29 years old he has logged in a significant amount of minutes over the years. Having a younger partner in the midfield that can perhaps take care of some of Hamsik’s work. Hmsik works best when he is an attacking midfield, driving directly at the defense and finding forwards in open space.

Sarri seems to be smitten with Allan, who has made 37 appearances for Napoli since signing with the side back in 2015. But Allan has mostly worked as a defensive midfielder so it will be interesting to see if he can make the push forward to solely as a center mid.