Sergey Shevchenko - about the central match of the second round of Serie A.
The central match of the tour gave us a fascinating story. There was a student and a teacher. Gattuso and Ancelotti before the game touchingly greeted each other. They are linked by eight successful, triumphant years in Milan - a cohesive, emotional "team-family". When Ancelotti went to train abroad, Gattuso had not yet thought of completing his career. They did not lose touch (for example, Carlo publicly supported Gennaro when he headed Milan), and when they finally became opponents, their teams issued a true drama.
Experience won. Napoli won a strong-willed victory, having recouped from 0: 2 - this happened for the first time since 2011. The match was an exhibition, and it's not so much the result, how many in the game. Team Ancelotti, contrary to negative forecasts of the press, started the season perfectly, having beaten two applicants for the Champions League. If the match with Lazio was not without luck, now everything was on the case. Papa Carlo early to write down "shot down pilots". His Napoli in some way inferior to the former team of Sarri, but in his sleeve revealed new trump cards.
Confidence. Neither a missed goal in Rome, nor two goals at the goal of Ospina (the position of the goalkeeper may become a weak link, we wait for Meret's recovery) from Milan did not shake Napoli's confidence in victory. The team in both starting rounds gained momentum towards the end of the first half and was uncontrollable in the second. There is both physical readiness and psychological firmness. The magic of Ancelotti's name, his indisputable authority works: the players do not lose heart when they are led by the top coach, and unquestioningly follow his instructions. The far-reaching conclusions are now out of place, but as long as De Laurenti's bet goes through - Carlo really became the main acquisition of Napoli.
Pressing. Napoli from the first minute pressed on the players of Milan, pressing them on someone else's half of the field and not letting them calmly launch attacks. The extreme defenders played high, which ensured the necessary compactness. The difference with the times of Sarri is that then the Neapolitans made an accented bet on possession of the ball. Napoli a la Ancelotti gave the ball to Milan (only 47% of possession, nonsense by the standards of the previous season), but it was a "Trojan horse" - the hosts made 13 selections and 9 steals in the foreign half of the field. Reorganize Milanese did not have time, on what they were caught by the hosts. The first goal Zelinski, which became a turning point, happened just after one of these interceptions.
Unpredictability. Napoli under Maurizio Sarri was too sketchy. Ancelotti added team variability. The scenario of the second half was largely predetermined by tactical changes. A key substitute is the emergence of Mertens instead of the once-disappointed "regists" Hamshika. Napoli was reorganized to 4-2-3-1 - a scheme that was rarely used by Sarri, but which works well in the presence of such diverse attackers as Milik and Mertens. The Belgian from the main striking force turned into a "joker", but also in this role is more than effective - coming out for half an hour, he managed to inflict four strokes on target shots. Such a regime will allow Mertens to save energy for the entire season.
Another unexpected move by Ancelotti was the replacement of the barely issued double Zelinski. Thanks to the exit of Diawara, the hosts kept the dynamics in the center of the field and doped the swammed Milan. Again, we praise Allan, who, like in the match with Lazio, worked perfectly in the center of the field (six selections). A ticklish situation has arisen: Hamshik, the captain and the symbol of Napoli, becomes superfluous. Already, the younger midfielder is more effective than the veteran Slovak, whom the "Gadzetta" both times determined for the worst players of Napoli. This is reminiscent of the late Totti in Rome - a fan-beloved legend, which is rather a hindrance to the team. Will it be possible to resolve this issue painlessly? The idea of ??Ancelotti with the change of Hamchik position still does not work, the Slovak plays too slowly and does not make aggravating transfers.
A few words about Milan. Defeat is fair. The preponderance in the account was illusory - Napoli was stronger even at 0: 1 and 0: 2, and the first return goal launched the inevitable process of "kambeka". Milanese played straight, had problems with the ball in their half of the field. Bill, in charge of the intellect in the center of the field, failed the match (although he began the attack in the episode with the second goal) - frequent pruning, weak play in defense. No wonder Gattuso replaced the Argentine in the 58th minute. Alas, Bakayoko's exit could not change anything seriously.
Higuain looked like a foreign body. He was cut off from the midfielder and even in the episodes with goals performed only a distracting role. Gonzalo almost did not touch the ball at the penalty of Napoli, because of what was forced to go back. As a result - nervous, which contributed to the atmosphere in Sao Paolo, where Higuain is affectionately loved since the transition to Juventus. Attempts by the Argentine alone to outplay several rivals looked desperate absurdity.
Milan somewhat justifies the disqualification Chalkhanoglu (the best player of the team on the spring stretch), as well as the very fact of the first match of the season - Napoli was a priori better prepared. Characteristic and statistics of meetings:
"Rossoneri" did not win in Sao Paulo for nearly eight years. Then, in October 2010, Gattuso was still playing for Milan. From the point of view of the result, nothing terrible has happened. Confuses another - the level of the game, which showed the team. There is no qualitative improvement, but on some emotions there is not much to achieve. Did the new management of the club repeat the mistake of their predecessors, while retaining the former coach at the helm?.
Author: Sergey Shevchenko.