SPAALLETTI’S FOURTH VICTORY
A promising football weekend began with the central game of the Serie A tour between the two league title contenders. Of course, you know the crazy start of the Neapolitans, who scored 44 points out of a possible 51 in 17 games, but you could escape the fact that the Turinites gradually gained a magnificent move: eight straight championship victories, including over Inter and Lazio.
The “old” arrived at the Diego Armando Maradona stadium seven points behind the leader and with a lot of attitude to cut it. Massimo Allegri could not present all the best. Thus, Paul Pogba and Dusan Vlahovic are not available due to injuries, but Federico Chiesa gradually got fitter after a serious injury, who was given the role of right-back in the 3-5-1-1 scheme with Arkadiusz Milik in tip.
Luciano Spalletti must have been nervous before this game. First of all, his teams are “famous” for starting the season strong, but losing little by little. In confirmation of this, the Neapolitans lost on January 4 to Inter. In second place, Spalletti in 29 games for Juventus celebrated only … three wins with 20 (!) losses. Who could imagine that the room would be SUCH?
SUPER BOND HVICH – OSIMKHEN
You don’t have to be a prophet to correctly imagine the pattern of play of the most productive and reliable teams in the league on defense. The hosts immediately surrounded Wojciech Szczesny’s penalty area and quickly opened the scoring. It is nice to note that Khvicha was directly involved in the first goal scored. In front of the penalty area, he played the ball to the right, ran to the center and, adapting to the field of play, finished off the corner with a side scissor. The Polish goalkeeper took the ball out with difficulty, but hit it right on the head of Viktor Osimhen.
Those who watched Napoli’s matches this season could hardly resist liking this team. Spalletti’s team not only attacks hard and hard, but also maintains a high pace and impresses with the consistency of the team’s actions. The latter, in my opinion, even with a bust. More than once or twice in the first half, the hosts’ players, receiving the ball in the penalty area, threw it into the free zone outside the crash zone.
Only Khvicha did not consider any other option than climbing forward. Therefore, it is absolutely fair that he was the one who doubled the advantage, scoring the seventh goal of the season. Right, Osimhen gave it to him. The striker took advantage of Bremer’s unsuccessful reception of the ball and led his teammate to hit, and calmly put the ball into the far corner.
RRAHMANI’S TWO MISTAKES
During the first half, Juve had only two chances, which were the result of the relaxation of the hosts and the genius of Ángel Di María, and still managed to stay in the game. In the first case, the newly formed world champion almost took advantage of the gift of Amir Rrahmani, who cut into his own half and shot from 25 meters to the center, and before the break he played two walls in a row. with his teammates and, passing through the rival defense through the center, from the penalty line, deflects the ball to the far corner.
And at the end of the half, Rrahmani himself almost cut the ball into the corner closest to his goal, and Alex Meret created a small miracle. Otherwise, the teams would have gone to the locker room with a tie.
In fairness, it is worth recognizing that the hosts did not have enough efficiency in the last third of the field, while Turintsy, on the contrary, managed to make the fans nervous even in ordinary episodes, it would seem, so in the second half Spalletti cast Elif instead of a kind of lean Matteo Politano Elmas.
THE RETURN OF THE MARADONA ERA
In the second half, the guests came out in a pronounced mood to recover, but quickly missed the third ball. Khvicha fired a strong low shot from a corner, Andre Zambo Anguissa missed the ball with his heel at the near post, and it went all the way to Rrahmani himself, who twice played so poorly on goal. The defender with a biting volley got away with all the mistakes – 3:1.
After that, Juve’s defense completely collapsed. After Osimkhen he ran one on one with Schensny, but hit over the crossbar. The midfield guests simply could not cope with the proposed speed. He completely missed the Manuel Locatelli and Weston McKenny match. Half an hour before the end, Allegri replaced the first with Leandro Paredes, and sent the second from the center towards the band, moving the team to the 4-4-2 scheme.
I do not help. Napoli was already on fire, literally destroying the opponent with speed and pressure. Once again, Bremer played unsuccessfully in front of his penalty area and allowed himself to be covered, and Khvicha, who received the ball, stepped lightly on Osimhen’s head and easily past his opponents in the air. It was the 65th minute, and it was hard to believe that this was happening in a game with the team that loses the least in the league.
The most surprising thing is that the beating of the flagship of Italian football not so long ago did not end there. In just six minutes, Elmas, in a hand-to-hand combat with a defender, sent the fifth ball to the opposite goal thanks to a rebound. It became clear that tonight the hosts fly in general everything. By the way, Juve have not conceded even four Napoli goals since 1990, that is, since the time of Diego Maradona… It will be difficult for someone to deprive such a Napoli of the Scudetto this season. And if everything goes like this, he will be the most brilliant Italian champion of the last ten years.
Series A. Matchday 18
Napoli – Juventus – 5:1 (2:1)
Goals: Osimhen, 14 – 1:0. Kvaratskelia, 39-2:0. Say Mary, 42 – 2:1. Rahmani, 55-3:1. Osimhen, 65 – 4:1. Elmas, 72 – 5:1.
Naples: Meret, Di Lorenzo, Kim Min Jae, Rrahmani, Rui (Olivera 71), Angissa, Lobotka, Zielinski (Ndombele 79), Politano (Elmas 46), Kvaratskhelia (Losano 89), Osimhen (Raspadori), 79).
Juventus: Szczesny, Danilo, Bremer, Sandro, Chiesa (Sick 73), McKenny, Rabiot (Sule 83), Locatelli (Paredes 56), Kostic, Di Maria (Miretti 73), Milik (Kean 56).
Warnings: Danilo, 44.
Judge: Trust me.
