Napoli – Como: Cescbomb Turns Como On (1-2) 

Como picked up where they left off. Despite a close margin in both goals and expected goals, Como were head and shoulders above a Napoli team with no sense of direction, even if they were afforded some late pressure.  

Tactical analysis and match report by Joel Parker. 

Two of Serie A’s Champions League representatives have tactical blueprints and game models that couldn’t be further from one another, at least in the minds of the two coaches.  

A disastrous run-in from AC Milan was not enough to deter Aurelio De Laurentiis from hiring Massimiliano Allegri. When Napoli looked like it was about to break away from the carousel (Vincenzo Italiano was heavily rumored before he joined Beşiktaş), they sought Allegri to revamp his low-risk, low-reward model into something more progressive. Instead, the first matchday at Genoa saw the script that everybody predicted: a buildup that was easily pinned deep, a press that could not establish itself in the opposition half, a deeper block forced in and a 2-0 victory in unconvincing fashion.  

Jumping into fourth place on the final day, at Allegri’s expense, was Como, who will embark on a first-ever Champions League campaign. In line with this achievement, Cesc Fàbregas and his team have scaled up their recruitment. Trevoh Chalobah was the big-money signing in defense, but Como drastically needed to Italyfy its squad: Mattia Liberali is . . .