On
Saturday the waiting ends and the theatre of the Italian Serie A begins. As
always there are plenty of storylines – from Inter Milan’s new beginnings to
Roma’s rich promise – but the headline act is Rafael Benitez’s new Napoli .
After
four years of bullish football, a gung-ho three-man defence and Edinson Cavani,
2013/14 represents a new frontier for the Partenopei.
The
mastermind of the mad orchestra, Walter Mazzarri, is gone, to Inter, and his
centrepiece Cavani has been sold to Paris Saint-Germain for €64 million.
On
Saturday evening, against Bologna
The Rafa-lution
Benitez’s
arrival at Napoli is his second foray into
Italian football management. His first was a tumultuous spell at Inter in 2010
that lasted just six months.
However,
unlike in Milan , there’s an air of enthusiasm in
Naples around Benitez’s appointment and the
evolution he represents for a club seeking to entrench itself as a major force
in Italy , and Europe . Benitez is a successful coach – a winner of two
Spanish league titles, an FA Cup, a Uefa Cup, the Europa League and the Uefa
Champions League.
It’s
a perfect match.
 |
| Fever & Excitement Napoli fans are expectant... |
The
club’s summer activity has revealed as much, seven new signings have arrived while
Benitez’s remodelling of the team’s shape has been swift. Benitez is a disciple
of the 4-2-3-1 formation – a system he popularised at Valencia with Pablo Aimar as the focal point and
perfected with Steven Gerrard at Liverpool . He
has immediately ditched the 3-4-3 set-up Mazzarri so loved.
Player
|
From
|
Dries
Mertens
|
PSV
|
Pablo
Armero
|
Udinese
|
Rafael
Cabral
|
|
Jose
Callejon
|
Real
|
Raul
Albiol
|
Real
|
Gonzalo
Higuain
|
Real
|
Pepe
Reina (loan)
|
However,
while a more orthodox approach will be adopted, it doesn’t mean Napoli will become a defensive side.
The
classification of Benitez as a defensive coach is inaccurate; rather he aims to
establish a solid base to build from. At Valencia Valencia
Similarly
at Liverpool , his 2008-09 side had evolved
into well-oiled offensive unit that produced several memorable performances,
not least a 4-1 win over Manchester United at Old Trafford.
The
Rafa-lution means a more studious approach at Napoli ,
with the emphasis on establishing balance between the offence and the defence.
The Offence
Losing
Cavani’s 29 league goals would be a blow to any side. However, in Gonzalo Higuain
the Partenopei have acquired a gifted replacement, one malleable to the Benitez
vision.
Higuain
is a proven scorer in his own right, as his 107 league goals in 190 games for
Real Madrid attest to. Last season the Argentine had a shot accuracy of 51.8
percent and an excellent conversion rate of 28.6 percent. Given the service, he
will score.
Gonzalo Higuain Stats – La Liga 2012/13
Still,
Benitez’s signings and pre-season combinations indicate the plan for a more
flexible attack, one not reliant on Higuain alone to replace Cavani’s goals.
Whereas
Napoli under Mazzarri increasingly became centred around Cavani’s talents
(Cavani scored 40 percent of Napoli’s goals last season), Benitez has always advocated
a system with offensive diversity containing players providing width (Dries
Mertens), others a direct physical threat (Jose Callejon) and technical
ball-players able to retain possession (Goran Pandev).
The
pieces he’s put together fit his model: a fluid offensive unit that presents
opponents different threats and attacking angles.
Behind
Higuain, Mertens scored 18 goals in 37 appearances for PSV last season while Hamsik
had 11 Serie A goals. Callejon, Pandev and the emerging Lorenzo Insigne are also
goal-threats.
The Defence
In
order to win major titles, however, a team’s offensive potential has to be
balanced by a defensive integrity – goals may win games, but defence wins
championships.
Benitez
has clearly tried to address Napoli ’s defence,
an area for improvement if the aim is to be a championship winning team
A
closer look Napoli ’s 2012/13 stats reveals two
startling flaws.
For
a start, Napoli conceded a disturbing 44
percent of their goals at the end of each half, not only suggesting tactical
frailties but mental and physical deficiencies also.
Secondly,
although Napoli only conceded 36 goals last
season, they allowed 12.8 shots per game, the most of Serie A’s top four sides.
The figure is all the more concerning considering Napoli
averaged 54.2 percent ball possession through the season (the fifth highest in
Serie A) and illustrates the team’s vulnerability as soon as they lost possession.
Both
issues explain why Napoli didn’t keep a clean-sheet against any of their
immediate rivals and both were instrumental in disappointing losses to Chievo
(2-0) and Bologna (3-2) which ultimately derailed
Napoli ’s bid for the Scudetto.
Shots conceded per game
12.8
|
|
Fiorentina
|
10.6
|
AC
Milan
|
10.3
|
Juventus
|
10
|
Via WhoScored
Juventus
2-0
|
Fiorentina
1-1
|
AC
Milan 1-1 AC Milan
|
These
are areas Benitez, with his meticulous attention to detail and devotion to
fitness, should improve while the deployment of two midfielders in front of the
defence also provides further security.
Benitez
has also made upgrades in personnel bringing in Pepe Reina on loan from Liverpool to replace the error-prone Morgan De Sanctis in
goals. Similarly, Albiol is a more measured option at the heart of the defence
than Hugo Campagnaro.
Probable Napoli team vs. Bologna
Reina
Maggio
Cannavaro
Albiol
Armero
Inler
Behrami
Pandev
Hamsik
Insigne
Higuain
The Forecast
 |
| Can you hear us coming? Napoli's Marek Hamsik |
Benitez
has taken charge of Napoli with the club on
the up. The Partenopei finished second in Serie A last season, their highest
finish since the title-winning season of 1989-90. That alone brings expectation.
However,
just remaining in the Serie A’s top three Champions League spots will be a
challenge in itself. Juventus remain the class of the league. AC Milan will be
stronger, so too will be Inter. Roma’s loaded squad can only improve while
Fiorentina are a rising force bolstered by shrewd signings.
Taking
into account Benitez’s previous spell in Italy and the high hopes in Naples,
this revolution, as with any in history, could go one of two ways – really bad
or really good.
Nevertheless,
Benitez may well be the man to steer Napoli
over the Scudetto hump. And it all begins on Saturday against Bologna
Originally written for BSports StatsInsights: August 23, 2013
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