Late goals from Dries Mertens and Fernando Llorente gave Napoli the win in an otherwise close game. Napoli’s defensive scheme was somewhat effective and in attack they managed to bring the ball into decent areas out wide. For much of the game, though, they were unable to find an end product. Many of Liverpool’s better […]
Juventus dominated the entire first half, with Higuaín scoring a highlight goal that seemed to break Napoli’s will. Ronaldo appeared to have sealed the victory in the second half, but Napoli fought back through set pieces and the brilliance of Zielinski and Lozano. Just when the game looked destined to end in a draw, Koulibaly […]
The opening day of the Serie A season was highlighted by this blockbuster tie between Fiorentina and Napoli. This would be a tough fixture for both sides who had differing ambitions heading into the new season. What was produced was a seven-goal opening day classic which great attacking football, fine finishes and a sprinkle of […]
Carlo Ancelotti’s high energy, pressing side proved to be too big a handful for Luciano Spalletti’s Inter. As the match progressed, Inter did manage to find some respite following drastic changes, but too much of their play kept revolving around the same patterns of poor buildup play and lots of long crosses. Tactical analysis and […]
Napoli were very much on top in the first half, with a strong pressing game which took the sting out of Atalanta’s wing-focused possession game. Atalanta were also somewhat unstable defensively due to Napoli’s attack disorganizing their man-marking scheme. Napoli’s lack of clinical edge in the final third helped an improved Atalanta back into the […]
Although chances to score were few and far between, these two European heavyweights still managed to play out an intriguing, evenly fought contest, which saw Arsenal crowned victors. Napoli’s early threat might have provided a doorway back into the tie but a lacking clinical edge cost them, as it did at the end of the […]
Arsenal’s dominant home display has left Napoli on the brink of a quarter final exit, but where did it all go wrong for the Italians? Arguably, this might have been an incidental clash of systems that prevented Carlo Ancelotti’s side from fully exploiting the weaknesses they saw in this Arsenal side. Tactical analysis and match […]
In a pinnacle Serie A fixture for the Champions League spots, Carlo Ancelotti’s Napoli put a huge dent in Roma’s aspirations to participate in European football next year. After Roma seemed capable of defending against Napoli’s ball-orientation, the visitors moved their focus more to counterattacking and exploiting space created on the wing, resulting in a […]
Napoli versus Juventus is typically built up to be Serie A’s big, top-of-the-table showdown, at least in terms of quality football. It did not fully live up to the hype. However, the drama and controversy of the clash nonetheless made for an enthralling encounter. Tactical analysis and match report by Peter M. Carlo Ancelotti only […]
Fiorentina were on the receiving end of an attacking frenzy in the first half. Napoli mauled the home side thanks to Fiorentina’s easy-to-beat man-marking setup that saw Lorenzo Insigne run the show in the middle of the park. The only thing Napoli did not achieve was scoring a goal, which would haunt them dearly in […]