After conceding an early penalty kick, Napoli remained calm, took control and secured a 1-3 victory over Frosinone. Here are four takeaways selected by Forza Napoli Press.
Wing Special
Matteo Politano and Giacomo Raspadori demonstrated the importance of the (inverted) wingers to Rudi Garcia’s system. Raspadori lined up on the left wing, deputizing for Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, who was kept out of the squad for precautionary reasons. However, the versatile forward often drifted towards the middle of the park and played as a number 10. Raspadori thought he gave Napoli the advantage in the 35th minute but his goal was disallowed after the VAR confirmed that Jens Cajuste was offside in the buildup.
Matteo Politano scored the equalizer midway through the first half, albeit with the help of some suspect goalkeeping from Stefano Turati. The inverted right winger linked up well with Giovanni Di Lorenzo on the right side. Politano played the pass-before-the-pass on Victor Osimhen’s first goal. Politano also played the cross to Osimhen at the second post on Raspadori’s disallowed goal.
Meanwhile, Hirving Lozano did not feature in the match. Raspadori played the full 90 minutes on the left wing while Politano was replaced by Eljif Elmas in the second half, fueling speculation that Lozano is on his way out.
Don’t Transfer
For Napoli, the best transfers of the summer mercato were the ones they didn’t make. The Partenopei reportedly rejected a €140 million bid for Osimhen from Saudi club Al Hilal. The reigning Capocaonniere picked up where he left off, scoring a brace to open his 2023/24 account. Garcia confirmed after the match that Osimhen did not have 90 minutes in his legs, but the Napoli manager waited for his ultra-competitive striker to score a second goal before replacing him with Giovanni Simeone.
Meanwhile, Piotr Zielinski, who is in the final year of his current contract, rejected Al Ahli’s salary offer of €15 million per year to stay at Napoli, a deal that would have brought €30-35 million to the club. With Celta Vigo midfielder Gabri Veiga scheduled to complete his medicals on Sunday, Zielinski was determined to prove that he is still the best attacking option in Napoli’s midfield.
As Stanislav Lobotka was replaced in stoppage time, Raspadori and Zielinski were the only players in Napoli’s front six to complete the entire match. Only Raspadori (11.544 km) and Francesco Gelli (11.579 km) covered more ground than the Polish midfielder (11.410 km). With Kvaratskhelia unavailable, Zielinski was the creative force in Napoli’s attack, creating space with his clever dummies, sharp turns and quick dribbles.
The seven-year veteran was unfortunate not to be awarded a penalty kick in the dying minutes of the match. After a backheel flick to Simeone, the Pole continued his run and received the return pass in the area. Zielinski was clear on goal when Ilario Monterisi appeared to shove the Napoli midfielder in back (albeit slightly), causing him to go to ground, but the penalty wasn’t given.
Garcia-Ball vs Spalletti-Ball
Though the outcome was the same – 3 points – Rudi Garcia’s brand of football is clearly distinct from Luciano Spalletti’s. Napoli struggled in the first half as the players were clearly still adapting to the new system, which is less fluid and more direct. The visitors were less compact, looking to stretch the Frosinone defense. Garcia wants a team that is deadly on the counter, as they were on the equalizing goal. The wingers tended to drift towards the middle of the park, allowing the full-backs to get forward, as Di Lorenzo did to assist Osimhen on the go-ahead goal. Finally, Napoli were very direct, playing the ball vertically rather than horizontally, as they did on Osimhen’s second goal.
Tough Debut
Jens-Lys Michel Cajuste was a surprise selection in the Napoli midfield. The Swede started over André-Frank Zambo Anguissa, who recently recovered from a muscular injury. Cajuste conceded a penalty kick only seven minutes into the match, catching Jaime Báez with his follow-through on his clearance. The young midfielder was unlucky to be called offside by the VAR, negating Raspadori’s goal midway through the first half. Eager to impress, Cajuste was cautioned for a reckless lunging tackle on Francesco Gelli, forcing Garcia to replace him with Anguissa at the break.
Nevertheless, Cajuste shows that he has the qualities to be an important option off the bench. According to Garcia, Cajuste can play in any of the midfield positions. The 24-year-old could be required to back up Stanislav Lobotka, as Diego Demme was left out of the squad amidst rumours of a possible transfer to Hertha Berlin.
