Don't know a lot about this Napoli team but they've started well (3-3-0) are possession based (ave. 60%) with around 19.6 shots per match so far this season.
The attack is likely to be very pacey (Lozano stretchered off with a facial injury - potential fracture - yesterday) with Osiham (CF), Politano (RW) and Kvaratskhelia, the new Maradona (The Athletic), (LW).
Some Cut+Paste comments from various sources :
When Napoli do get pressed intensely, they have an excellent point of reference in Victor Osimhen who is wonderful technically and is physically strong enough to be able to hold the ball up from defenders and can lay off passes for oncoming teammates. As a result, Napoli are a team that are extremely difficult to press, as they have the options of passing through the press with strong technical players in the build up, whilst also possessing a physical player further up the pitch who can allow the entire team to push up the pitch with him.
A big part of Napoli’s ability to dominate games is through their ability to force opponents to make errors through relentless pressing, especially in the first half of games.
When teams do attack Napoli, they must be sure to leave enough athletic defenders back to deal with Napoli’s counterattacks. Osimhen and Lozano are both very powerful runners which makes them incredibly tough to tackle when there is lots of space behind. Especially with Osimhen’s ability to hold the ball up, like in the image below, it is nearly impossible to contain him and you must prevent the ball from getting to him in the first place. The creative likes of Khvicha and Zielinski are very skilled at finding the runs of the forward players, something which will become a more common occurrence against teams that are more attack-minded.
Like when they press, Napoli also counterpress just as intensely, which plays a key part in their ability to sustain pressure on opponents and allows them to have a better defensive record. The Napoli players all mark the nearest open player while the player closest to the ball forces play one way, to reduce the number of potential outlets a defender might have. This intense pressure is a key part of why Napoli sustain attacks and maintain a high possession number over their opponents.
This was last season - and if they are continuing in this vein then it could suit us :
We can expect Napoli to dominate most games in the league, and cause chaos for any defence. Their defensive structure hasn’t been tested too much, so some problems may arise, but with this pressing approach, this situation won’t happen too often.
where’s the good news
