On Sunday, Napoli conceded a 96th-minute equalizer to Cagliari, falling further behind in the race for Champions League qualification. The 1-1 draw against the club currently sitting second from the bottom of the table marked the fifth occasion this season that the Azzurri have dropped points to clubs in the bottom half of the table.
Consistent with recent performances under Walter Mazzarri, the visitors struggled to create quality chances, generating an xG of only 1.1. However, there were some positive signs that Napoli are finally heading in the right direction under Francesco Calzona, who made his league debut on the Napoli bench.
Most noticeably, Napoli seemed intent on progressing the ball forward, unlike Mazzarri’s Napoli, which often looked for the backward pass. As a result, Napoli spent most of the match in the Cagliari half. That attacking mindset was instilled in Calzona by Maurizio Sarri and Luciano Spalletti, who Calzona served as an assistant to.
On occasion, the Sarri/Spalletti patterns of play re-emerged. Napoli’s best chance of the first half – a long-range, left-footed strike from Giacomo Raspadori – was the culmination of an 11-pass sequence, including quick, one-touch passes between Stanislav Lobotka, Piotr Zielinski and Raspadori in the middle of the park.
Zielinski returned to the starting lineup after being left out of the Champions League Round of 16 squad and was involved in many of Napoli’s best passages of play. His performance was nowhere near as poor as some Napoli supporters have suggested, many of whom are upset about the Pole’s reported decision to join Scudetto favourites Inter on a free transfer in the summer. He certainly did not spend 78 minutes walking around the park.
That said, those passages of play were few and far between and often fizzled into nothing as Napoli’s final ball often lacked quality, particularly in the first half. The reigning champions were too eager on the counterattack and frequently conceded possession cheaply back to Cagliari. Those errors were induced by a Cagliari side who were instructed by Claudio Ranieiri to press Napoli, which they executed well in the opening frame.
The former Napoli manager also gave specific players individual assignments. Nahitan Nandez was glued to Khvicha Kvaratskhelia for 73 minutes. The 23-year old Georgian was subdued for a second consecutive match as he continues to adapt to his fourth different coach in less than eight months. Likewise, professional instigator Yerry Mina was tasked with marking AFCON runner-up Victor Osimhen. The former Everton man, currently on loan from Fiorentina, nearly succeeded in getting under Osimhen’s skin. In the past, Osimhen might have retaliated and gotten himself sent off. Instead, the reigning capocannoniere took out his frustrations on the pitch, opening the scoring in the 66th minute.
His diving header into the empty net was Napoli’s first Serie A away goal since a 1-2 victory over Atalanta on November 25, 2023 – Walter Mazzarri’s first match after his return to Napoli. The goal was set up brilliantly by Giacomo Raspadori, who returned to the wing after featuring exclusively as a striker under Mazzari. Raspadori was arguably the man of the match, benefitting from the change in position.
Though Calzona has yet to improve the attack, he came within seconds of securing his first victory, and Napoli’s last-second collapse was hardly the fault of the coach. In the dying minutes of the match, the Partenopei selfishly squandered two quality opportunities to score. First, Matteo Politano missed the target with a lazy toe-poke from an awkward angle. Had he looked up, he would have seen Giovanni Simeone completely unmarked in front of a gaping goal. Moments later, with the missed opportunity fresh in his mind, Simeone similarly ignored the run of Jesper Lindstrøm and blasted a waist-high shot straight at Simone Scuffet, when a low, rolling shot or square ball might have sufficed.
“Thank goodness they were borderline selfish”
Ranieri was grateful for the selfishness of Napoli’s attack. “After the goal we allowed them two scoring opportunities and thank goodness they were borderline selfish. If they had gone ahead 0-2 there, there would have been nothing left to do,” he told Sky Sport after the match. “Having only a one-goal deficit, we believed in it until the end, also thanks to the fans.”
Even with a narrow lead, there was little left for Napoli to do. However, as evidenced by a 94th-minute corner kick routine, Napoli switched off mentally. Politano played a short corner to André-Frank Zambo Anguissa, expecting the hard-working midfielder to shield the ball at the corner flag. Instead, Anguissa turned and passed the ball straight back to Cagliari. Moments later, Lobotka controlled a loose ball in the middle of the park, dribbled to the edge of the area and went for goal. Though he only narrowly missed the target, the Napoli regista, who rarely looks to shoot, could have turned back and retained possession, allowing Napoli to play out the clock.
35 seconds later, Luvumbo somehow controlled Alberto Dossena’s Hail Mary into the Napoli area, despite being surrounded by three white shirts, and blasted a volley past Alex Meret. Juan Jesus inexplicably misread the flight of the ball while Meret timidly stayed on his line. Did the mistake warrant the personal attacks on social media? Absolutely not. Did the judgment error cost Napoli points? Indeed, it did.
“I think the problem is mainly this [psychological], because physically they are quite well and demonstrated it again today. In the end, a player like Anguissa came out very well, but also other players. I didn’t see players who throw themselves on the ground with cramps and everything else, so the problem is only mental,” said Calzona in his post-match press conference.
These are the errors Calzona will seek to address ahead of Wednesday’s Matchday 21 make-up game against Sassuolo. Unfortunately for his president, his players and the supporters alike, Napoli has just about run out of time. Had Napoli held on for 15 seconds longer, they would have reduced the gap to 5th-placed Atalanta to seven points. That might not have been insurmountable given Atalanta’s upcoming fixture list. Instead, the Azzurri remained nine points behind La Dea with only 14 matches remaining. Given the recent form of Bologna, Atalanta and Roma, qualification to the Champions League, or any European Cup competition, is now highly unlikely.
