Amalfitano: Should Maurizio Sarri rotate Napoli’s starting XI more than he has?
An 18 match unbeaten streak, scoring 42 goals and conceding eight is stellar for a club that laboured to fifth last season while shipping 54 goals in the process. Sarri has taken practically the same squad as a season prior and completely moulded it to his liking while also achieving great results.
Captain Marek Hamsik is enjoying football again. Lorenzo Insigne is finally becoming the player we’ve only seen flashes of in the past. And Gonzalo Higuain’s form has earned him the right as Serie A’s best player and puts among the top five strikers in Europe.
Sarri disposed of Rafael Benitez’s 4-2-3-1 before finally settling on a 4-3-3 which has allowed his men to dazzle thus far, playing some of the best football in the peninsula.
Looking closer at Sarri’s team, you’ll notice he has more or less stuck with the same starting XI from when he first made the switch to a 4-3-3, largely utilising his bench for European commitments.
While he has formed a strong core of players, one begins to wonder whether a bit of rotation in league play may be beneficial to counteract tired legs and predictability, the latter being the main gripe under Rafa last season.
Starting in defence, there’s absolutely no question that Pepe Reina remains in goal. Aside from an error against Bologna, he has been extremely dependable and confident in goal. More than that, he’s ultra passionate for the club and that shows in his performances and reactions during the game.
The club would’ve been smart to pick up another fullback in the summer, but Faouzi Ghoulam and Elseid Hysaj have been solid starting choices. While Ivan Strinic at left-back offers reliability and experience, veteran Christian Maggio doesn’t have the legs anymore and shouldn’t be considered for a starting role.
Raul Albiol and Kalidou Koulibaly patrol the centre of defence under Sarri, which has overwhelmingly improved from last term. Although Albiol is playing better than he was last season, tired legs and lack of genuine pace could possibly prompt Vlad Chiriches to see more Serie A action, especially for the latter’s great mobility.
Looking back, Sarri’s demand to the club to retain Jorginho was a smart decision, with the regista holding the keys and driving the engine of Napoli’s midfield.
However, he’s had a hard time reacting to heavy pressure on the ball and tired legs are catching up to him as we approach the Christmas break. Pupil of Sarri at Empoli, Mirko Valdifiori was expected to start but Jorginho’s impressive form put that out of the question. Perhaps a run of a few league matches could be in store for the 29-year-old.
Allan has provided bite and dynamism in midfield that the club was desperately missing last season, but his both his lack of ball retention and invisibility at times has been worrying. David Lopez is the only true backup for the Brazilian, but he doesn’t present a very exciting option.
All in all, the problem Sarri faces in midfield is that the quality of the alternatives just isn’t to the standard of the starters. This is something that needs to be heavily addressed come next month for Napoli to go the distance as Scudetto contenders.
But up top, it’s polar opposites in fact: Sarri has at his disposal one of the best attacking units in Serie A. Insigne set a personal Serie A goal record while Higuain has scored 14 so far. However, still up for discussion is whether Jose Callejon should start ahead of Dries Mertens and Manolo Gabbiadini.
While the ex-Real Madrid winger does provide excellent defensive coverage – even late on in matches – he surprisingly yet to find the back of the net in Serie A this term. At this stage of the past two seasons, Callejon had netted seven goals, appearing not as sharp and confident in front of goal this term.
Characteristically, Napoli have struggled getting results against the provinciali and this season has been more of the same. Perhaps a change to a 4-3-1-2 would be beneficial in these types of matches where Napoli generally see a lot of the ball and need to speed up their play and quick passing movements around the box to unlock tight defenses. Clever one-twos by Mertens would do well here.
This setup also allows for more central play and a player like Gabbiadini would greatly benefit from it, with his deadly left foot capable of striking in any situation.
All in all, Sarri’s winning formula will face its real test later in the season when teams already know how to set up against the Partenopei. That being said, January will be crucial in bringing in new talent to really sustain a title challenge and compete in Europe. If Sarri continues to trust his same starting XI, could that be a recipe for disaster?
