Carlo Ancelotti left Napoli in ruins, eleventh in Serie A and with their confidence shattered. At first, even Gennaro Gattuso could not handle the ruins, until the missing piece of the puzzle completed the manager’s scheme, leading his team into sixth place through the simplicity of his ideas. Written by Kareem Bianchi. By the end […]
Inter started brightly, got the vital opening goal within two minutes and pressed Napoli deep in their own half. Generally, Inter dominated the ball and were faced with the task of breaking down Napoli’s solid 4-5-1 shape. They had some interesting mechanisms up their sleeve but were unable to make it count. Napoli’s equalizer just […]
A frustrating evening for the visitors came forth from their inadequacies in attack just as much as it was due to a very well-drilled and aggressive defense from their opponents. All the possession for Barça but only the one goal, albeit a crucial one, to show for it. Tactical analysis and match report by Peter […]
Club football has entered its decisive phase, with lots to play for in every competition. Last week we previewed the first four matches of the knock-out stage. Today we focus on Tuesday’s ties of the most important tournament in club football: the Champions League. Article by Manasvin Andra, Kareem Bianchi and Joel Parker. Chelsea – […]
Gennaro Gattuso’s defensive plan once again caught an Italian top team unprepared, as clinical finishing placed Napoli in the lead despite only sporadically breaking through Inter’s pressing. Antonio Conte desperately searched for an equalizer by discharging all of the weapons at hand, but came up empty-handed. Tactical analysis and match report by Kareem Bianchi. Sunday’s […]
Napoli’s diligence finally gifted Gattuso his second Serie A win against the most esteemed of opponents. Juve’s second half performance had nothing to do with Sarriball, and while Juve experienced a small identity crisis, Napoli swiftly took the lead to run away with a deserved victory. Tactical analysis and match report by Kareem Bianchi. When […]
Napoli had the ball, but Fiorentina ran the show for most of the game. The visitors happily spent large parts of the game in a low block and their solid defensive plan neatly exploited the issues in a flawed Napoli side. Tactical analysis and match report by Kareem Bianchi. When Serie A opened its gates, […]
Put under pressure by Juventus winning against Cagliari the same day, Internazionale needed a win to keep on topping Serie A. Despite some squad rotations, Antonio Conte’s men played with a similar level of performance and controlled the scenario of the game from kick-off to the final whistle, despite a good reaction by Napoli. Tactical […]
As Napoli triumphed over Genk in a scintillating win that reminded fans of what could have been, the curtains closed on Carlo Ancelotti’s Neapolitan experience. Expectations were not met, pieces of the puzzle detaching progressively as time passed, until the decision to part ways paved the way for Gennaro Gattuso’s chance. What exactly went wrong […]
Both sides shared their frustrations in possession, but Liverpool struggled the most, in their attempts to question a very well-organized Napoli 4-4-2 deep block. Napoli’s clinical edge gave them the advantage for the majority of the match, but it were Klopp’s changes which offered Liverpool a way back in. Tactical analysis and match report by […]