Napoli needed a fortuitous own goal from Wladimiro Falcone to earn a morale-boosting victory over Lecce. Here are three takeaways selected by Forza Napoli Press.
Shell of Their Former Selves
It’s difficult to pinpoint the precise reason why, but for the second consecutive match, Napoli looked like a shell of their former selves. With no obvious reason for the Azzurri’s sudden drop in form, Forza Napoli Press suggests a few possibilities:
No Victor
The absence of Serie A’s top goal-scorer has been evident. Victor Osimhen stretches opposition defenses with his presence alone. The threat of the the long ball over the top forces opposition back lines to play deeper, for fear the Nigerian could beat them with his pace. That creates space in the midfield for Stanisalv Lobotka, André-Frank Zambo Anguissa and Piotr Zielinski to do their thing. When Osimhen is not on the park, opponents can naturally play more compact, as Milan and Lecce demonstrated.
Osimhen is also a magnet for central defenders, pulling them out of position and isolating Khvicha Kvaratskhelia on the wing. The Georgian has shown all season how devastating he can be in 1-v-1 situations. However, when Osimhen does not play, resources are freed up to double- or even triple-team Kvaratskhelia, containing the winger and limiting his impact.
Tired Legs
As we enter the final quarter of the season, Luciano Spalletti’s demanding style of play may finally be catching up to some of his key players. Five Napoli players are amongst the top 25 in all of Serie A for minutes played, (in order): Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Alex Meret, Stanislav Lobotka and André-Frank Zambo Anguissa. Add to that Champions League and International fixtures (and associated travel), and it’s no surprise that Napoli’s players seem slower, both physically and with respect to decision-making, than earlier in the season.
Weight of a City
With significant squad turnover in the summer, few pundits had Napoli finishing in the top four of Serie A, let alone competing for the Scudetto. No one predicted that the Partenopei would be 19 points clear of their nearest rival through 27 rounds.
Low expectations allowed Napoli’s new signings to play with a freedom and peace of mind that simply wasn’t afforded to their predecessors. Fast-forward eight months, the city has been draped in blue in preparation for the Scudetto festivities. Perhaps the gravity of the impending success has finally dawned on this rebuilt Napoli squad; a team consisting predominantly of players who don’t have a winning pedigree.
Capitano Mio
With his team struggling, Giovanni Di Lorenzo did what you would expect of a true captain. The Napoli full back put the team on his shoulders, scoring his second goal of the season (and fourth in all competitions) to give the visitors an early lead. The move began with a Napoli free kick on the left side of the midfield, which is how Kim Min-jae found himself playing on the right wing. The central defender delivered a perfect, out-swinging cross into the area for his captain to head past Wladimiro Falcone. As usual, Di Lorenzo often galloped down the right wing to support the attack.
A Difficult Foe
Lecce proved once again that they are not to be taken lightly by Serie A’s top clubs. Having already taken points from Fiorentina, Atalanta (twice), Lazio, Milan and Roma, the Salentini nearly became the first club to take points from Napoli in both fixtures this season. Lecce limited Napoli to an xG of 1.1, displacing the Milan match as Azzurri’s fifth-lowest xG of the Serie A campaign. The Giallorossi out-shot Napoli 11-9; only the fifth time this season Napoli registered fewer shot attempts than their opponent.
That said, the victory over a tough opponent in difficult circumstances, having relinquished a first-half lead, will give Napoli a boost in morale heading into their Champions League tie against Milan. Meanwhile, after their statement victory over Napoli, Milan could only manage a draw against Empoli.
