Napoli head coach Luciano Spalletti has won the Serie A Manager of the Month Award for January 2023.
The Italian manager led his side to four consecutive victories in the league following a 1-0 loss to Inter Milan.
The Partenopei have now opened a 13-point gap at the top of the table.
Spalletti’s side scored 11 goals and conceded only three throughout the month to keep a healthy distance from the chasing pack.
Napoli started the year with a loss to second-placed Inter, who broke their unbeaten domestic run.
Edin Dzeko scored the winner in that game as the Nerazzurri shut the door at the back and counter-attacked smartly.
Simone Inzaghi’s side won the tie, but before tongues could start wagging about Napoli’s mentality, they cleared everyone’s doubts.
Napoli bounced back with an easy 2-0 win over Sampdoria. Serie A top scorer Victor Osimhen opened the scoring after 19 minutes before the Genoa-based side made things easy.
Veteran Tomas Rincon got a straight red card in the first half allowing Napoli to dominate, and Eljif Elmas doubled the score with a penalty in the second half.
Serie A giants Juventus were next on the agenda, but Napoli humiliated them at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium.
The irrepressible Osimhen and electric winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia led the onslaught against the Old Lady.
Napoli then beat Salernitana and Jose Mourinho’s AS Roma to round up the month.
The Partenopei are gunning for their first league title 33 years after coming close last year before tailing off.
Spalletti is galvanising a young squad capable of taking the league by the scruff of its neck over the years if they can keep the team together. They are young and hungry, while their competition looks frail.
Napoli visit Spezia this weekend. They will be keen to keep their momentum against the 17th-placed side in Serie A.
