Napoli left it late against Roma but managed to take all three points at the Maradona because of the brilliance of Giovanni Simeone. Forza Napoli Press presents four takeaways after Sunday’s match.
Victor Osimhen is THAT guy
Victor Osimhen is having the season of a lifetime. On Sunday, he scored his 14th league goal in 16 matches. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia delivered a near perfect cross into the area, which Osimhen controlled beautifully with his chest and then thy before smashing the ball into the top corner. The goal hasn’t gone unnoticed outside of Italy, with people worldwide mesmerized by the 24-year-old’s mind-blowing effort. There really aren’t enough words to describe that goal.
Apart from his consistency this season, the Nigerian striker has stepped up in big games, for instance against Roma, Juventus and Atalanta. Like Napoli as a whole, he seems unstoppable at the moment.
Sloppy at the back
Though Osimhen put Napoli ahead after only 16 minutes, Roma were not out of the game by any stretch. The Azzurri backline seemed more sloppy and not as focused as usual. They even looked a bit reminiscent of the defence we saw against Hellas Verona at the start of the season (2-5 win). A good example of the Partenopei’s sloppiness was when the confusion between Kim Min-jae and Alex Meret over a long ball by Spinazzola, which almost saw the South-Korean head the ball into his own goal.
In general, Napoli gave away too many chances to Roma. Meret made some excellent saves to deny the visitors. Even though you didn’t really feel like Napoli were in big trouble, the difference was only one goal, so Roma remained close. 15 minutes before the end of the match, substitute Stephan El Shaarawy popped up at the far post and put Nicola Zalewski’s cross in the net. Hirving Lozano was late to pick up the run as the Pharaoh scored his second important goal at the Maradona in as many seasons.
Squad Depth
That goal by El Shaarawy seemed like a wake up call for Napoli. With the introduction of Giacomo Raspadori and Giovanni Simeone, both of whom are hungry for goals, the Partenopei started going forward again. After 85 minutes, Simeone confirmed his status as best super-sub in the league, when he turned away from Smalling and shot the ball into the top right corner. The Maradona exploded, and so did Victor Osimhen, who came off for Simeone. It was the perfect example of what makes this Napoli squad so strong. Osimhen, arguably the best player in the team, was substituted, and the man who came on for him, Simeone, won Napoli the match with a great strike.
No team in the league has such options on the bench, and thanks to them, Napoli have extended their lead over second placed Inter to thirteen (!) points. The high praise for Sporting Director Cristiano Giuntoli and coach Luciano Spalletti for building and developing this squad is more than deserved.
Anguissa’s off-day
André-Frank Zambo Anguissa has been one Napoli’s better players this season, but on Sunday he didn’t perform as usual. Anguissa conceded possession too often and wasn’t as unbeatable on the ball as he normally is. Though he was not terrible, the performance highlighted how amazing and important the 27-year-old midfielder has been for Napoli.
While one midfielder looked a bit uncomfortable on the ball against Roma, another was thriving. Piotr Zielinski performed had his best performance of the calendar year. He dribbled fearlessly through the field, played an important role in the build-up to Napoli’s first goal and assisted on the second. With Anguissa is having an off-day, Zielinski picked up the slack – another illustration of the strength of Spalletti’s Napoli.
