Napoli scored three goals in the second half to extend their current Serie A win streak to five games. Forza Napoli Press Here are three takeaways selected by Forza Napoli Press.
Good to be Lucky, Lucky to be Good
Like in the Girone di Andata, Spezia were resolute in their defending, holding Napoli scoreless in the first half. However, Gli Aquilotti committed a number of costly errors in the second half:
- Napoli opened the scoring after Arkadiusz Reca inadvertently handled the ball in the area only ten seconds after the restart;
- On Napoli’s second, Bartlomiej Dragowski was slow to react to Ethan Ampadu’s high clearance and by the time he did, it was too late; and
- Napoli’s third started with Stanislav Lobotka pressing Mattia Caldara into conceding possession in the Spezia area.
With nine players out, Spezia had a short bench and perhaps, after an intense first half, mental fatigue set in for the second and third goals. In any event, there was still work to be done and Napoli made the most of their opportunities.
Unselfish
With Napoli already up by two, Mattia Caldara conceded possession in a very dangerous area. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia was clear on goal but elected to pass instead. Victor Osimhen tapped the ball into the empty goal to complete the latest combination between Napoli’s top goalscorers. It was the sixth time this season that Kvaratskhelia assisted Osimhen. The former now leads all of Serie A in assists (9) and latter leads all of Serie A in goals (16). The pair have contributed 24 goals and 12 assists this season.
Keeping It Clean
Though he was hardly tested, Alex Meret recorded his 9th clean sheet of the season, only two behind league leader Ivan Provedel. Napoli retained the best defensive record in the league with only 15 goals conceded through 21 matches, two better than Juventus, who have a game in hand. Only Roma (15.5) have a better xGA than Napoli (18.3).
Amir Rrahmani was the standout amongst the back line, making a number of key interventions, including a sliding block on Kevin Agudelo in the first half and an experienced shoulder-to-shoulder tackle on Eldor Shomurodov in the second half. Though Napoli have defended well, sometimes the best defence is a good offence – it’s difficult for opponents to create chances when they have little of the ball. With 69% ball possession against Spezia, Napoli raised its league-leading average to 61.4%.
