The good thing is only the result for Gattuso’s team: too many mistakes in defense and little unity between the departments.
Wins the Naples in Rijeka, but against the Rijeka, for the team of Gattuso, it is far from a walk in the park. First half unwatchable: Neapolitans almost always at the mercy of opponents who rage on the outside and create numerical superiority. Action after action the blues lose connections and compactness. And so Muric, good at centrally following the scorching counter-attack that developed almost without opposition on the right side of the guests, pierces the innocent Meret with a delicious left. The hosts, on the wings of enthusiasm, try to accelerate but find a proud bulwark in the Friulian goalkeeper. At the end of the first fraction it is Demme to transform the first real pride of Campania into a goal: Diamond svirgola in area, Mertens finishes and the Italian-German half turns on the net. 1-1 and we go to rest. In the second 45 ‘, despite the scolding of the Calabrian coach, Napoli does not seem to have received it and so Menalo hits a post (which perhaps still trembles). Big fright. Then a few minutes later the winning goal arrives: Politano He hits his head in a small area and, thanks to a lucky carom on the thigh of a defender, he finds the final overtaking net. Maximum result – as they say in jargon – with minimum effort. Napoli at 6 points in the standings, but this is certainly not the right attitude. These are the report cards of Areanapoli.it.
Meret: 7. He has no responsibility for the goal. It is produced in a couple of interventions that allow Napoli not to succumb. Ready and decisive.
Di Lorenzo: 5.5. In the first half he blows himself up like a pin and seems in great trouble like the rest of the team. Much better in the second half when he becomes a constant reference in the offensive maneuvers that develop on his side.
Maksimovic: 5,5. Soft, bewildered, not very lucid in defensive readings with and without the ball. There are no connections with Di Lorenzo, Koulibaly and with the medians. He also grows in the second half, finding some discrete pieces of his reliable repertoire.
Koulibaly: 5-. Which is not 4 only for the great esteem and for a truly remarkable start to the season. Tired: after all, he never rests. First part of the match to forget: on the field an elderly double of himself. The young Kulenovic, born in ’99, at times humiliates him with plays on the limits of the confrontation both in the strait and in the open field. Things do not improve in the second half: when Napoli takes a risk, you can hear the crunch of the Senegalese.
Mario Rui: 6-. Not a full enough because on the occasion of the Rijeka goal he leaves too much room for Muric. In defense, some too much trouble is evident, but forward it is precious with the lifted and sharp crosses of which he is capable as in the action that leads to the 1-2. From 80 ‘Ghoulam: 6. A sufficiency that is not a face in the final minutes, but a hope: his left is truly remarkable, the fans are hoping for his recovery.
Demme: 7. He has to run for himself and for Lobotka, sometimes even for other teammates. And so it gives the feeling of ending up in the vortex of chaos too. In reality he is the only one who tries to keep the shack up in the first half between preventive readings and generous shots. He fights like a lion and also finds a way to enter the area as in the occasion of the equalizer at the end of the first 45 ‘: Mertens catches him in the small area and he bags with dexterity. Closes the match with 95% accuracy in passing. In the final he also touches the brace.
Lobotka: 4. A fish out of water and late in condition. He limits himself to the short pass without ever verticalizing. He forces Demme to run for him too. Napoli spent 25 million to buy him from Celta Vigo: to date it is undoubtedly a wrong investment. Dal 60′ Fabian: 6. A few flaws are not lacking with the ball between his feet, but he is lucid in the triangulation that leads to Mario Rui’s cross for Politano’s head in the action of 1-2.
Politano: 6. At the ready start it melts like snow in the sun: the opponents jump him and Di Lorenzo with excessive nonchalance. At the umpteenth dribbling he gets a yellow card for a blatant foul. Precious, however, his offensive gusts to keep Napoli high. It is he who hits his head and finds Rijeka’s own goal that decides the game. From 69 ‘Lozano: 6. Continue your partner’s work forward while also ensuring defensive folds. He too close to scoring.
Mertens: 6. In the role of attacking midfielder, away from goal, he suffers when no playable balls arrive. And so he is forced to press and sacrifice himself for the cause by acting more with an ax than with a chisel. Lucid at the end of the first half when he puts the equalizer ball on Demme’s feet. He hits a wood on a free kick, but has to find coldness in front of goal.
Diamond: 6. Back from the first minute after absences for Covid-19. It is evident that he has to find the polish and agility of the best times. However, he is among the few to keep the opposing defense in check, even touching the goal. You have to wait, you have to put gas in the engine. From 60 ‘Insigne: 6. Even at the small trot it makes the difference with its quality. With experience he leans on his technique dribbling on the hourglass to make the time pass faster in the final minutes.
Petagna: 6. Not flashy, but still makes his presence felt in the area and on the pitch. He puts the tonnage at the service of the team to pick up his teammates and to create gaps in the area. And he succeeds on the occasion of the two goals: first with a tower, then with the ram, an ancient siege weapon to open fortresses. Dall’80 ‘Zielinski All. He too, like Elmas, needs to play to find himself. Close to scoring too, with the goalkeeper saving.
Gattuso: 6-. At the ready go the choice of deploying Lobotka and Demme in a light and frayed 4-2-3-1 does not pay: thanks to the horror evening of the whole defense or almost, Napoli succumbs to the blows of Rijeka. The draw comes thanks to Demme, a real marathon runner, good at taking advantage of Mertens’ assist. Little changes in the second half: the hosts hit the post and risk finding themselves in front again. The superiority of the blues comes out only when the Croatians drop dramatically. Only the final result is good, but the third match of the Europa League leaves many doubts about the approach, mentality and the solidity and sustainability of some game concepts.
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