Worrying Times for SSC Napoli Fans
SSC Napoli have been through a lot of them changes since Luciano Spalletti guided them to a long-lusted-after Scudetto three, four years ago. After a somewhat chaotic season under the combustible Antonio Conte, Napoli was thrust into the richly experienced hands of Massimiliano Allegri. Don’t know what the plan was in entrusting the fate of Naples to the man who failed to get AC Milan back into the Champions League the previous season. But the early signs are far from promising. They squandered a chance to make a statement against the reigning Serie A champions this weekend, succumbing to a 3-2 loss.
Transfer window: Inter 1 - Napoli 0
At the Giuseppe Meazza on Saturday, an Inter Milan win seemed to be written in the sky before a ball was kicked. Inter’s domination began in July, when the transfer window was flung open. Napoli made the first move on the third day of that month, declaring Allegri head coach in place of the departing Conte. Then Inter took over, raiding Manchester City for a defensive partner for Manuel Akanji, who they had acquired on loan September last year.
They then headed to London and Liverpool to sign up two young members of England’s World Cup squad. And after letting Yan Sommer go, Inter reinforced its goalkeeping department with the shrewd acquisition of Ivan Provedel from Lazio. Aleksandar Stanković, son of Nerrazzurri legend Dejan Stanković, also rejoined the club to beef up an already power-packed midfield. For just over 100 million Euros, Inter’s bigwigs have upped the quality and depth of their team while still retaining the core that led them to last season’s title.
The Neapolitans, meanwhile, did little in the transfer market beyond making a handful of loanees, including Man U flop Rasmus Højlund, permanent employees. Oh yeah, they also struck a loan deal for Chelsea’s Benoît Badiashile. The aging of Napoli’s core and the departure of Romelu Lukaku, among other stalwarts, have left a void in the quantity and quality of manpower at Stadio Diego Maradona. This transition seems to have caught the club’s administrators pants down, unable or unwilling to loosen the purse strings to remedy the situation.
Stats don’t lie
Back to the San Siro and the clash of titans it hosted on Saturday. The scoreline suggests a finely poised encounter which could have gone either way. And if André-Frank Zambo Anguissa had made the most of either of the two embarrassingly presentable chances that fell to him, Napoli may have got away with a point. But the stats show that Inter’s win, coming at the death as it did, wasn’t a fluke- 29 shots on goal to Napoli’s 16.
In addition to the three goals, three of Inter’s shots (including that delicious Federico Dimarco freekick) shook the frame of Alex Meret’s post. Inter also had twice as much of the ball as their opponents and won nearly twice as many duels. The passing accuracy numbers were also heavily in Inter’s favor (89% to 78%).
Chivu’s checkmate
Let’s also reflect on the impact either coach’s substitutions had on the outcome. Inter’s leveller was created by Carlos Augusto and nodded home by Marcus Thuram, both brought on by Christian Chivu in the second half. And it was substitute Curtis Jones’ cross that sparked the pandemonium in Napoli’s six-yard box that led to Lautaro Martinez’s winner. Defensive changes by Allegri, on the other hand, didn’t have the desired effect. The aforementioned Badiashile replaced lively winger Alisson Santos but couldn’t stop Inter from equalizing, then going on to win the game.
Now is a worrying time to be a Napoli fan. After an opening day win over relegation candidates Genoa, the Naples outfit has succumbed to two straight losses. Tomorrow, they face English champions Arsenal in their first Champions League clash of the season.
