The Serie A sunday night match between SSC Napoli and AS Roma ended with a score of 1-1. Roma catched up at the 90' to a goal by Mertens, after having gone ahead in the first half with El Shaarawy. Let's go to analyze the choices of the two coaches and the most interesting tactical keys.
Sunday night, at the San Paolo stadium in Naples, Carlo Ancelotti and Eusebio Di Francesco faced each other for the first time ever. Their two teams came from good performances in the Champions League round, even if obtained with opponents of different caliber.
The clear victory of AS Roma against CSKA Moscow was important for the points, but, above all, to shake off the shattering debacle of the Giallorossi team against the S.P.A.L. in the last Serie A match.
Still a great European performance, then, for SSC Napoli of Ancelotti, that at the Parc des Princes, keeps up to the PSG of Neymar and Mbappe and nearly realizes the feat to bring home the three points. Di Maria's goal in the final minutes of the match takes away the joy of victory to the Azzurri, but doesn't delete the beautiful game played.
LINE-UPS
Ancelotti, as often happens, lines up his team with a ductile module, but on this occasion it immediately seems a 4-3-3, because Fabian Ruiz plays as central midfielder and Callejon as right wing, to try to win the direct challenge against Kolarov.
Insigne also starts wing, on the other side, trying to take advantage of the absence of Florenzi and attempting to be much as possible one to one with Santon. Milik is the center-forward, while Mertens stays out of the starters, ready to enter during the match.
In the midfield, the barrier composed by Hamsik and Allan is already well established, and in defense, Hysaj gets back his place on the right side.
Di Francesco chooses the 4-2-3-1, the module that proved to be more right for the peculiarities of his team.
Some factors affect the choices of the Giallorossi' s coach, who must do without Fazio and Florenzi, both on the bench but not in perfect condition, as well as he has not available the injured Kluivert, Pastore and Perotti.
Olsen is the goalkeeper, Santon is the right defender and Juan Jesus plays in the center of the defense with Manolas. Kolarov completes the line on the left side.
In the midfield, De Rossi and Nzonzi are confirmed. Behind Dzeko, the hero of the Derby Lorenzo Pellegrini and, as wings, Under and El Shaarawy
THE MATCH
With its great organization and the will of not increasing the gap from Juventus FC, Ancelotti's team starts well, with short passes and overlaps, speed and pace. And yet, it's AS Roma to score the advantage goal thanks to Pharaoh El Shaarawy, who pushes inside a cross from Under, after the good Dzeko body swerve that eases him.
It's an ideal situation for the Giallorossi, since they can wait for SSC Napoli attack and then restart again quickly to surprise them.
But SSC Napoli resumes playing as if nothing had happened and, despite risking something, the team attacks and creates numerous opportunities for scoring.
AS Roma resists, managing to remain compact and often putting in offside the opponents. Rarely, however, it's able to react and to propose dangerous actions.
In addition, Di Francesco must solve the problem of the injury of Captain De Rossi, forced to leave the field before the end of the first half. De Rossi is a very important piece of the AS Roma midfield, especially in the more intense moments of the matches.
With his exit, the team loses personality and bodily power, qualities that his substitute, Cristante, does not possess.
The second half is a one-way match, with SSC Napoli looking for the equaliser and showing a great territorial supremacy.
Insigne misses many attempts, Olsen saves his team with a good reactivity, but the Azzurri are becoming ever more insistent.
The key is the substitution that Ancelotti decides after only 10 minutes of the second half. Mertens replaces Milik and the SSC Napoli forward becomes really very unpredictable.
After two disallowed goals, in the last minute of the match, the forcing brings its effect with the draw goal, scored proper by the Belgian player.
In the end, the result is the right one, because a defeat for SSC Napoli would have been a too severe punishment. AS Roma returns home with an important point, which mitigates the disappointment for a victory escaped in the last minutes of the match.
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Thank you for reading, I hope you liked it!
See you soon!
Girolamo
Follow me and @scorum-italia
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