TACTICAL ANALYSIS: Napoli and Inter leave San Paolo with heads held high
Gonzalo Higuain would provide the goals for the home side – taking his tally up to 12 in Serie A – before Adem Ljajic pulled one back for Inter just 23 minute before the final whistle.
However, the final 40 seconds proved to be the most thrilling of the night, as the away side hit the post twice while Pepe Reina made a terrific save to keep the score 2-1, ensuring all three points stayed in Naples.
Although Napoli emerged victorious, the outcome very much gives the feeling of hope to both sides of a long Scudetto battle, leaving the Partenopei just a point above Inter with 31.
Maurizio Sarri set up a familiar starting XI we’ve seen since altering to a 4-3-3, and surprisingly Roberto Mancini lined up side in the same formation. While many were expecting a back three, Mancini chose to attack the home side through counters with pace and skill down the wings, starting Ljajic and Ivan Perisic.
A powerful strike 65 seconds in by Higuain was unexpected and immediately altered the nature of the match. The Azzurri conceded early mistakes right after due to sloppy, careless play, nerves and Inter’s early pressing, which angered Sarri.
With Inter now a goal down, they surely would have to come out and play. However, the Nerazurri stuck to their defensive approach and patiently waited for the key moments to burst forward – mostly down the flanks – when Napoli’s attack broke down.
While Inter struggled to get out of their own half during the match, they looked dangerous on the break when Napoli poured men forward. Mancini’s men have arguably been the only side so far this season to really get in behind the Partnopei’s defence on a good number of occasions throughout a match.
One reason for this is Napoli’s defensive shape was a surprisingly narrow, particularly the fullbacks. Both Faouzi Ghoulam and Elseid Hysaj started from narrow positions, which allowed Ljajic and Perisic room to receive the ball and carry it down the flank.
Perhaps the reason for this was to not let the aforementioned wingers quickly turn on Napoli’s fullbacks. This narrowness was characteristic during Sarri’s Napoli in early matches while utilising a 4-3-1-2, but a change to a 4-3-3 eradicated the problem.
Insigne was also deployed higher up the pitch than usual to aid in counterattacks, but his diminished defensive contribution allowed Daniele D’Ambrosio to push forward and start Inter’s attacks from the left. When they did get in good positions, Perisic’s decisions weren’t always the best for his side.
All in all, Inter did well to penetrate given the space in both halves, with Marcelo Brozovic and Ljajic being Inter’s most creative players at the San Paolo.
Although Napoli would dominate possession throughout the match – accruing up to 62% – it wasn’t a classic performance from Sarri’s men. A bit wasteful in possession, the home side appeared threatening every time they managed to really burst forward through Lorenzo Insigne and Marek Hamsik, but attacks did not materialise due to lack of a final ball and Inter’s quality in defence.
Napoli’s attackers also did not always find themselves in the best positions for each other throughout the match, while being marked tightly by Inter’s wall. However, Raul Albiol would do well to find teammates in between the lines of midfield and defence.
Later in the match, Sarri’s men would become complacent and fall to lapses of concentrations after Yuto Nagatomo’s red and Higuain’s second goal.
This resulted in a poor last half hour for the home side and one could argue the dismissal gave Napoli a false sense of security. Sarri alluded to this in his post-match press conference and expressed his anger in how much of the second half was played.
Heightened second half pressure and a winning mentality instilled by Mancini made Inter an even hungrier opponent, something Napoli, combined with the aforementioned factors, struggled to cope with. The home side were pinned back and handled the last 20 minutes of the contest in poor fashion.
Inter were in much better shape physically, and Napoli began to panic and become disorganised after Ljajic pulled one back.
But Reina’s heroics and a bit of luck would be enough to save Napoli in the end, although a draw was probably the fairer result.
With the win, Napoli are currently top, which hasn’t happened since 1990, which just so happens to be when they last won the Scudetto. Inter may have left Naples without any points, but they certainly demonstrated their title credentials and should feel confident for the long journey that awaits them.
