Why Hamsik is the key to ending Napoli's Champions League agony

The question on reporters’ lips was not whether Napoli could qualify for the Champions League knockout phase, but when. Victories at home to Benfica and away at Dynamo Kyiv had set the Italian side up with an immediate and commanding lead in Group B.

With the right combination of results in the third round of games, Napoli could have become the fastest-ever team to reach the last-16.

Instead, Maurizio Sarri's men buckled against Besiktas at the Stadio San Paolo - twice recovering from a goal down only to eventually lose 3-2. It was Napoli’s first home defeat in the history of this competition, and indicative of a calamitous shift in fortunes.

Shorn through injury of Arkadiusz Milik and Raul Albiol, the Partenopei suddenly lacked both conviction up front and control at the back; they had won six and drawn two of their first eight matches across all competitions - a run that culminated in the win over Benfica. They have won only four out of 12 since (and lost just as many).

Already, Tuesday’s return fixture against the Portuguese side is starting to feel like a pivotal moment in the season.

A draw would secure Napoli’s progress to the last-16, whilst a win would guarantee first place and top seeding. But a loss would almost certainly mean elimination (barring an unlikely Kyiv win over Besiktas) - dealing a financial blow and a psychological one as well.

The Champions League has tormented Napoli ever since the club began to re-establish itself as one of Italy’s foremost teams at the start of this decade. At times, the starting XI has been strong enough to hang with the best teams in Europe. Somehow, though, Napoli has always contrived to fall short.

In 2012, agony arrived in the form of a last-16 defeat to the eventual winner, Chelsea. Napoli had obliterated the Premier League club in the first leg at home, with only a heroic goal-line clearance from Ashley Cole keeping the margin of victory down to 3-1. But an ill-timed injury to Christian Maggio set the tone for a collapse at Stamford Bridge, and the Italian side exited the competition after extra-time.

Two seasons later came a crueller blow, Napoli becoming the first club ever not to qualify from a Champions League group despite taking 12 points from six games. The Partenopei had beaten Borussia Dortmund and Arsenal once each but still wound up exiting on head-to-head goal difference in a three-way tie.

To throw away another opportunity this year, after such a fast start, would be crushing. It might also have a knock-on effect for the club's transfer plans.

Napoli has been looking to add cover for Milik this January, with Leonardo Pavoletti one mooted option who would be eligible to play in Europe right away. Without a last-16 game to look forward to, though, would the budget be trimmed? And might he become less keen on a midseason switch?

The stakes, then, are considerable. There is an opportunity here for Napoli to conform to type and crumble, but equally a chance to demonstrate that lessons have been learned. As the one consistent presence through all of this decade’s triumphs and traumas, Marek Hamsik might understand that more than most.

He is already beloved in Naples, the club’s captain and well on the way to making his mark on its history books. He needs just 11 more goals to equal Diego Maradona as Napoli’s all-time leading scorer.

“I hope to reach him this year, that thought excites me,” the Slovakian told Corriere dello Sport last month. “I will never be like him, nor do I think that is even possible in absolute terms. But at least I will be able to keep that satisfaction of having beaten him.”

It is hard to imagine how any player would ever match the legacy of Maradona in Naples. This is the man who fired the club to two Scudetti, doing it with unimaginable flair. A man whose chaotic but wholehearted way of being seemed to capture the very essence of a city, inspiring giant street murals and parties so wild that gravestones were daubed with the message: “You don’t know what you’re missing."

Related: Hamsik overtakes Maradona on Napoli's Serie A scoring chart

Hamsik, with his discreet professionalism and less ostentatious playing style, will never inspire that level of fervour. But supporters adore him for his loyalty all the same. A host of great talents have passed through this club since he arrived in 2007, from Edinson Cavani, Javier Pastore and Ezequiel Lavezzi through to Gonzalo Higuain. All have been lured away by the prospect of greater riches or easier paths to silverware.

The Slovakian could easily have followed them out the door. At different times, he has been the subject of enquiries from Juventus, Milan and Inter - not to mention several clubs from the Premier League. Never has he seemed all that interested. He speaks openly about wanting to retire as a Napoli player.

Some will accuse him of lacking courage in that decision, and yet for Napoli he has thrived on the big stage. Hamsik’s six goals so far this season include the opener in a home win over Benfica and the crucial equaliser away to Besiktas last month. He struck once more against Inter on Friday, helping his team to a 3-0 win that will provide a timely boost to morale.

“We know that this game is a final,” said Hamsik when asked about Benfica at Napoli’s press conference on Monday.

Such a scenario could and should have been avoided. But in some ways, wouldn’t it be fitting for Napoli to arrive at its destination via the scenic route, driven by the one man who is in it for the long haul?