Napoli – Juventus: Zambo, The Neapolitan Rambo (2-1)
In a frantic game, Napoli went into half-time a goal down and short of shooting answers. The second period saw their strengths come to the forefront, physical midfielders crashing into the box to provide another option and Frank Anguissa rose to the occasion.
Tactical analysis and match report by Joel Parker.
In eighteen years, Juventus have only won twice at the Maradona; surprising form when considering the fixture’s importance to the Scudetto location. Even though Juve is not in the race, this game was crucial as an unbeaten team faced the league leaders.
What made this game more intriguing was just how the two teams' development has led to them cosplaying one another. Historically, Juve acted as the top dog to Napoli being the more creative counterpart, but Napoli’s hiring of Antonio Conte, whilst Juve went for Thiago Motta, has indicated a big change in each other’s future aims.
Conte is a serial winner, who is looking to restore his reputation after a failed stint at Tottenham. Napoli’s form has been flawless since pre-Christmas, with a huge win away to fellow contenders Atalanta in the process. This has left Napoli on top of the table, three points ahead of Inter and six wins on the bounce. Meanwhile, Juve was still unbeaten going into January: the problem they experienced was thirteen draws in twenty-one games. Just when Juve's rotations appeared to have reignited, during the
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