As Carlo Ancelotti attempts to reshape Napoli in his image, the fixture list has not been kind to the former Chelsea boss. Last weekend’s loss to Juventus was preceded by a gauntlet of Serie A encounters that has already pitted his new side against Lazio, AC Milan, Parma and Fiorentina, while their early European outings presented an equally daunting challenge.
Starting their Champions League campaign at Red Star’s imposing Marakana, they then hosted last year’s runner’s up Liverpool at the Stadio San Paolo. In an enthralling opening 45 minutes, the two sides played each other to a standstill and the Napoli boss knew he had to act. He had already dispensed with Maurizio Sarri’s 4-3-3 system, shunning it in favour of a 4-4-2 framework that made greater use of their talented wide players.
With the game against Liverpool locked in such a stalemate, it was on the wings where Ancelotti recognised his side had the advantage and that was where the game would be won. Throwing on Simone Verdi and Dries Martens – the latter unfortunate not to score just moments after his introduction – Napoli stretched the visitors even wider and it soon paid dividends.
Klopp made no counter move, a naive oversight that left his young full-backs cruelly exposed and, after a quick exchange of passes down the Napoli right, Jose Callejon sped past Andrew Robertson. In a single move the Italian side had finally bypassed the Liverpool backline, the Spanish winger picking out the run of Lorenzo Insigne who made no mistake as he steered the ball home.
It was a simple enough goal, but it was enough to claim all three points here and the scorer’s performance fully deserved it. Buzzing around the pitch, Insigne tormented Liverpool throughout the game with an abundance of tricks and flicks, his delicate interplay perhaps the only bright spot in a match where both teams struggled for attacking cohesion.
“It’s wonderful to win like this, but we had a great performance as a team and wanted the result at all costs,” Insigne told Sky Italia shortly after the final whistle. “We know it’s a difficult group, we always did, but we want to make our mark in every game and put any opponent under pressure. I’m just focused on doing well, not if I score, as the important thing is for Napoli to win and to make these wonderful fans happy.”
He certainly did that, his hometown stadium erupting as he found the back of the net and it was a goal that capped an excellent individual display. As the graphic in the tweet below underlines, Insigne did a little bit of everything to help secure the win, passing the ball well, creating chances for others and of course finishing off that excellent team move to score the only goal of the game.
“We had the chances to score earlier, but I think we timed it well. We scored at the right time!” beamed an understandably delighted Ancelotti in his post-match press conference. “The team did well throughout the game, we never lost control, were always very focused, above all when defending and allowed Liverpool practically nothing.”
That is undoubtedly true as, for the first time since 2012, the Anfield giants completed 90 minutes of action without getting a single shot on target. Some of that was due to their own wastefulness in a woefully subdued performance, but Napoli deserve credit too for the way they limited Klopp’s side and few players did more to ensure that than Brazilian midfielder Allan.
Playing in a two-man midfield alongside skipper Marek Hamsik, the 27-year-old ensured his side were never overrun, working tirelessly to not only secure the middle of the pitch but also track back and snuff out the attacking prowess of Sadio Mane.
He literally played two roles, constantly on the move to fulfil his double duty, with statistics taken from WhoScored.com highlight the sheer effort he put forth. Over the course of 90 minutes he registered five tackles, made eight ball recoveries, blocked one cross and committed two fouls, but also made a telling contribution when Napoli were in possession.
Far more than just a destroyer of play, Allan also connected with 56 of his 59 pass attempts (94.9%) and completed one take-on, driving Napoli forward every time he won the ball back. It was a performance that embodied everything the Partenopei did well and is certainly worthy of praise, a vital part of a hugely impressive victory.
Yes, this was a poor Liverpool performance, but it was a result Napoli should – thanks to Ancelotti, Allan and Insigne – be immensely proud of.
