Napoli can no longer score. It struggles, terribly, to realize even a fair amount of play. The lost game with Inter highlighted once again an evident difficulty in finalizing: Badge creates but is always hesitant when he has to conclude, Politano alternate excellent play with questionable choices, Callejon he has long lost the verve under the door he had in the early “Italian” years. But, net of the physical problems of Mertens and the few high notes of Lozano, there is a great absentee: Arkadiusz Milik.
NUMBERS FROM HORROR – The Polish striker with Inter offered a test at times irritating. Off, abulic, never dangerous in the first half hour of play, then literally gone. A ghost, distracted, first tip that tries to tie the game between the departments, yes, but it is completely absent in the penalty area. De Vrij spent a pleasant evening, despite the great heat. In 84 minutes of play Milik touched the ball 18 times, 50% of the times with backward passes, going to the shot only once. It also infuriated Gattuso, who first picked him up, screaming at him to go deeper, then, in the post race, he publicly criticized him: “Milik did not have a great game, I expected more”. The numbers from the restart are merciless: 1 goal in the last 9 games, 2 total. And to say that on August 8, at Camp Nou, Gattuso would need the real Arkadiusz, when he will attempt a feat with Barcelona that has never been successful in the history of Napoli, to reach the Champions League quarter-finals.
JUVE HEAD? – Arek is hiding behind the opposing defenders and a future that sees him far from Naples. He is distracted, his head seems not to be on the pitch, remained in the decisive penalty scored in the Italian Cup final against Juventus. And, as hypnotized, he continues to see the black and white. Indeed, as told by calciomercato.com, Milik already has a base of economic understanding with Juve for a contract whose duration is still to be established between 2024 and 2025. Paratici has chosen him, and the Pole wants to reach Sarri in Turin. The agreement between clubs is missing, with De Laurentiis who would prefer to sell the player abroad. However, there are still (at least) two games to play, with Lazio and then with Barcelona: an opportunity for Milik to leave at least a good memory.
