With a scoreless draw to Monza on Friday, Napoli sit 8th in the Serie A table, 19 points adrift of their point total at this stage last season. Per Opta, it’s the Parternopei’s third-worst start to a season since returning to the top flight, after the 2007/08 and 2019/20 campaigns, when they earned 23 and 24 points, respectively.
It is a dark period for Napoli, appearing even bleaker on the back of one of the greatest seasons in club history. Walter Mazzarri has done little to clean up the mess created by his predecessor, with only three victories in eight matches since returning to the club. Any hopes of defending the crown are long gone and if performances (and therefore results) don’t improve, a top-four finish is in jeopardy as well.
There were plenty of negatives from yesterday’s match: the omissions of Giovanni Simeone and Jesper Lindstrøm from the starting XI; a predictable attack; an inability to execute set pieces from the corner flag; yet another penalty kick conceded; wasted goal-scoring opportunities; a very late introduction of Simeone; and two goalkeeper injuries, to name a few.
Yet, Napoli are only five points behind fourth-placed Fiorentina. Though overshadowed by the result, there were positive takeaways as well. In his pre-match press conference, Mazzarri addressed the club’s defensive struggles. “The only thing we have to be very careful about, like they did last year, is when you attack, you have to be mindful of conceding a counter-attack,” he said. “You must be more balanced”
Mazzarri achieved this balance with a tweak to his defensive tactics. Though Napoli continued to defend in a 4-4-2, Alessio Zerbin dropped to midfield, defending as a full back, while André-Frank Zambo Anguissa pressed the Monza left back. This allowed Giovanni Di Lorenzo to defend more centrally and ensured Napoli had numerical superiority in the defensive phase.
Zerbin’s positioning was clearly worked on in training, which explains why the ex-Frosinone man started over Lindstrøm. Combined with the ferocity of Mario Rui at left back, Napoli defended well. The Azzurri limited Monza to 8 total shot attempts, only 3 of which hit the target, and a non-penalty xG of 0.6. Thus, Napoli earned their fifth clean sheet of the Serie A campaign. Alex Meret was instrumental in that regard. After a standout performance in Napoli’s 0-2 defeat to Roma, Meret stopped Matteo Pessina’s second-half penalty kick. Granted, Pessina’s effort was extremely poor.
Perhaps justice had been served. Mario Rui’s handball in the area was not dissimilar to Roberto Gagliardini’s handball in the first half. In all likelihood, Napoli were not awarded a penalty kick because the ball bounced off of Gagliardini’s thigh before hitting his hand. However, if that occurred anywhere else on the pitch, a free kick would have been awarded.
When a team is struggling, it’s not uncommon for the manager to focus on the defensive phase, often at the expense of the attack. That was not necessarily the case with Napoli on Friday. While Napoli failed to find the back of the goal, and the vast majority of their 9 shots on target were straight at Michele Di Gregorio, the home side had plenty of high-quality opportunities to score. Anguissa, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (twice) and Gianluca Gaetano all spoiled point-blank chances. Combined with missed opportunities from Di Lorenzo, Rrahmania and Zerbin, Napoli registered an xG of 2.0.
Mazzarri was justifiably displeased with the treatment of his star left winger. In fact, he was sent off for leaving his technical area to express his discontent. With Victor Osimhen suspended, Mazzarri anticipated that Kvaratskhelia would get plenty of attention. Thus, he gave the Kvara the license to roam and the Georgian used it. He often drifted towards the center of the park and occasionally appeared on the right wing. His finishing left Napoli fans wanting, but Kvaratskhelia was at the heart of the Napoli attack, as was expected of him in the absence of Osimhen and Matteo Politano.
All that was missing was a goal, which would have kept Napoli within two points of a Champions League position. Nevertheless, Napoli remain well within reach of the top four. After taking full responsibility and apologizing to supporters, Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis confirmed his intent to reinforce the squad in January. With some new faces in key positions – centre back and midfield, in particular – and half a season still to play, Champions League qualification remains a realistic objective.
