Sumptuous match by all the blues, the tests of Fabian, Di Lorenzo and Politano also stand out. Gattuso da 9, Gasperini asphalt.
The Naples exaggerates againstAtalanta: at the end of the first half Gattuso’s team is already ahead 4-0. Goddess on the ropes under the incessant blows of the Neapolitans who wrap their opponents like prey in the spider’s web. Lozano and Politano fly, Mertens and Fabian Ruiz pull the strings, Bakayoko observes that everything goes smoothly and Osimhen gives meaning to every ball thrown deep. Impressive Azzurri, Gasperini can’t believe his eyes: his splendid team, the one that reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League just a few months ago, annihilated, annihilated, disoriented, stunned. Ospina, home goalkeeper, almost never solicited, is produced in the perfect relaunch in the action of Osimhen’s first goal with the blue shirt. 4-1 the final result, the second half tells little or nothing beyond Lammer’s goal who tries to rekindle hope. Gattuso from 9 between courage, intuitions and above all a work evident in the heads of his players. Below are the report cards of Areanapoli.it
Ospina: 6.5. He enjoys watching his teammates as they cut the pitch and opponents far and wide. Never solicited, it is produced in perfect raises, from one of which comes the action that leads to Osimhen’s first goal with the Napoli shirt. For a few centimeters he does not avoid the goal of the guests flag.
Di Lorenzo: 7.5. Gosens never surpasses him, on the contrary, it is he who breaks through and rages in full range as he pleases. Precise and punctual in all contrasts, he always checks it out. Excellent agreement with Manolas, amazing feeling with Politano when it overlaps.
Manolas: 7. Duvan finds a rubber wall in the Greek which he bounces off and goes back. Speed is lightning, guess every advance. Solid also in the aerial game. The understanding with Koulibaly is growing and even in the start of the action he takes care of the point without lace.
Koulibaly: 7. Play a lot of balls in the low starts. Just like Manolas with Di Lorenzo, he keeps his balance well in the side corridor and is centrally impassable. Also experience the offensive raid on more than one occasion.
Hysaj: 7. He feels Gattuso’s confidence and the results are also seen on the left-handed out. He holds up well in defense without uncovering himself, he follows the movements of the defensive line a lot and there are no smudges. Ilicic finds no gaps and is crushed in the vice. If he wanted to nitpick, he could have put Lammers offside in the action of Atalanta’s goal. But it’s really a matter of inches.
Fabian: 7,5. When he sees an opening and a partner to throw, he doesn’t think twice and always finds the right geometry to trigger the dangerous action. The precision in the game change and the enthusiasm in the contrasts are remarkable. In the second half he falls and makes some mistakes, but he is not the only one to pull the oars in the boat after the 4-0 in the first half. Dall’83 ‘Demme: sv. A few minutes in which he holds well in tackling, climbs well and manages possession with order.
Bakayoko: 7. He hadn’t played for 6 months, but nobody noticed. Easily follows the inertia of the phases and is always in the right place at the right time. Some errors in the passages, but overall he feels weight and centimeters in the hard clashes in the median. Notable impact. From 75 ‘Malcuit: sv. He chases his opponents and gives balance.
Lozano: 8,5. The best player on the pitch for two reasons: he is a constant thorn in the side of his opponents, both on the right and on the left, and then scores two very important goals. The first that unlocks the race, the second that directs it (precise and powerful shot to turn). When the man jumps into dribbling it is a feast for the eyes, as well as in the duets with Osimhen and Mertens: he looks like a Marvel superhero.
Mertens: 7,5. In the role of director he is a mixture of Fellini and Dino Risi, poised between dreamlike visions and profound analysis of concreteness with a strong sense of sarcasm. His cuts without the ball are the quintessence of an overall sequence shot in this new tactical film by Gattuso. The feeling with his teammates that he creates and incorporates is an Oscar winner. Humble even in chasing. Dal 75 ‘Lobotka: sv. Dynamic, quick thinking, useful in possession closed in the hourglass.
Politano: 8. A tightrope walker who studies from Callejon when he has to sacrifice himself even if Gattuso works on a module in which the full backs will allow the wings to look forward above all. He drives his opponents crazy, reads Di Lorenzo’s movements perfectly in the rear view mirrors and then finds a wonderful goal between goals and basketball as his gesture suggests: sling at the intersection from outside the area. From 60 ‘Ghoulam: 6. Gattuso throws him into the fray in the upper left, not as a full-back. He goes to make the containment wing in a 4-4-2. Press and contrast, without overdoing it. Waiting for better times and newfound fluidity.
Osimhen: 8. Impregnable with a thrown ball, he is a demon against whom holy water and exorcism are needed. But Victor also knows how to be angelic for his teammates when he flies and sings giving breath and support to an entire team. Finally Napoli has a pure striker able to make the department alone, to control balls in the air game and to create spaces at will, taking with him more opponents. The first goal in the blue jersey was beautiful: he tamed Ospina’s postponement and let a low shot from distance start. Mertens, Lozano and Politano go to a wedding: Osimhen digs and they find the diamonds. From 83 ‘Petagna: sv. An extra luxury.
Gattuso: 9. Stubborn, crazy, insane, visionary: he is shaping Napoli in his image and likeness. The part of Ringhio that is in them is emerging in every player. Beyond the module and the perfect rotations, the real work he is doing is on the mentality, on believing in it, on the carefree nature of being able to dare, of course, but with the awareness of a sacrifice necessary to balance dream and reality.
Luca Cirillo
