Napoli vs Fiorentina Match Review
Introduction
In a Sunday packed with marquee match ups and title implications, one could say it was a neutral’s dream turned reality. As a Napoli fan, this reality quickly turned into a nightmare of enormous proportions. In front of a packed Maradona, against the team that dealt the fatal blow in our 2017/18 campaign, and with inconsistent performances from the other title chasers, Napoli found themselves on the losing end of another pivotal match. I struggle to find a more accurate description of my support for this club than this Tweet by Mina Rzouki.
In an act of catharsis, I decided I would write about how I interpreted yesterdays match. Below, you will find some data visualizations produced, the structures I observed, and some takeaways that I had from the 90.
Data Visualizations - xG Accumulation & Shot Map
Napoli’s shots skewed heavily towards the left hand side, with 11 of their 15 shots coming left of the penalty spot. Fiorentina had a more even distribution, with five shots coming from the left of the penalty spot and six from the right of the penalty spot. Napoli had an average of 0.097 xG per shot compared to Fiorentia’s 0.081 xG per shot. Neither side were able to record a shot inside of the six yard box.
Both teams outperformed their xG totals, with Napoli winning the xG matchup 1.45 to 0.89. Outside of Nicolás González’s goal generating 0.47 xG, Fiorentina failed to break 0.1 xG on any other shot. Both images produced show how Napoli were rather unfortunate to lose out on all points from the fixture.
Team Structures
Fiorentina’s default structure was a 4-3-3. In build up, this would pivot to a 4-1-2-3 with Sofyan Amrabat dropping deep to act as an outlet for defenders. When Napoli established possession in the opposing half, this would change to a 4-1-4-1/4-5-1, seeing Gonzalez and Saponara aid in the defensive phase. When Napoli had the ball in their own third, Fiorentina would deploy a press that resembled a 4-2-4 or advanced 4-4-2. Castrovilli would occupy a more advanced role, applying pressure on a member of the defensive line while Duncan and Amrabat operated as a double pivot. At times, Duncan would apply the pressure higher up with Castrovilli dropping into the double pivot. The common denominator is Amrabat acting as an anchor, regardless of this presence in the double pivot higher up the pitch or as the deep midfielder sitting between the defensive line and midfield line.
Napoli’s default structure was a 4-2-3-1. In build up, Ruiz and Lobotka operated as a double pivot and offered passing options for defenders while Zielinski occupied the space of a number 10. As play progressed up the field, Ruiz would join Zielinski in a more advanced role with Lobotka providing support further behind the play. While pressing Fiorentina in the attacking third, Napoli’s shape was incredibly similar to the one deployed by Fiorentina, an advanced 4-4-2/4-2-4. Zielinski would pressure the defensive back line along with Osimhen, while Ruiz and Lobotoka operated as the double pivot.
1st Half Breakdown
Right from the onset, it was extremely clear how both teams respected the other’s strengths and operated to exploit the few weaknesses the opposing system provided.
In the case of Napoli, the team was aware of the pressure the Fiorentina side would impose while they maintained possession in their own third. They would often play short passes amongst themselves, luring the Fiorentina attack and midfield into a more advanced position. When players like Castrovilli and Duncan began pressing the back line, the Napoli players would often look to play the ball in a direct manner to Osimhen or Zielinski. Furthermore, both Politano and Insigne would play with extreme width, creating more space for the attack to exploit. This strategy worked very well for the first 20 minutes, creating a variety of dangerous opportunities for the Neapolitans. This dynamic also highlighted one of my favorite matchups thus far in Serie A, Osimhen vs Igor.
Fiorentina were able to get through the wave of long balls in the first 25 minutes and began to adapt to find success with a direct approach. This is highlighted by the barrage of direct balls in the space around or behind Mario Rui. From this point on, Nicolás González became the star of the show.
Below we see Pietro Terracciano playing a direct ball to Duncan, breaking down the initial line of the Napoli press. Fabian Ruiz, who is seen pressing the goalkeeper, vacates the double pivot providing the space Duncan occupied. This key breakdown was instrumental in Fiorentina’s next attack, which resulted in the first goal of the match.
Below, you fill find various images that highlight the exploitation down Napoli’s left side. The long ball would often provide the attacking player with a 1 on 1 against Mario Rui, giving Fiorentina a qualatative advantage. I will use dividers to break up the images by their respective sequence of play.
To summarize, Napoli started off the half very strong and created numerous opportunities with their direct play. Once Fiorentina adapted, they took control of the match and would often put Napoli on the back foot. This was done with more direct passes, the exploitation of space down their right wing, and creating qualitative advantages by attacking Rui one on one.
2nd Half Breakdown
The first 10 minutes of the second half picked up where the first left off. A couple of inverting progressive carries from Zanoli and a dangerous ball in from Insigne created a few opportunities for Napoli, but none were overwhelming enough to level the game.
However, the 56th minute saw the introduction of Dries Mertens for Fabian Ruiz in what I believe to be a remarkable miscalculation from Spaletti. While Mertens was the correct player to bring on, he operates best by making late runs into the space vacated by Osimhen. This creates a fundamental imbalance in the midfield, as Zielinski also prefers to operate in an advanced area. Dropping him into the double pivot exposes his defensive weakness, while keeping him in a more advanced area allows Lobotka to be overrun.
The first crack in the armor I witnessed was just shy of the 57th minute, where Fiorentina regained possession deep in their own half after a Napoli attack. Saponara carries the ball, with Lobotka being the only player between him and the defensive line. A simple pass to Duncan gave Fiorentina a 3 vs 3 on the counter attack. Despite this resulting in a great tackle from Rui on a through ball to González, it perfectly highlights the imbalance that will come back to haunt Napoli.
Immediately after the opportunity pictured above, the other side of Spaletti’s double-edged sword of a substitution was on display. Insigne delivers a fantastic ball behind the defensive line, bringing Osimhen into a wider area. With the defensive line collapsing towards their own goal to adjust for Osimhen’s reception in an advanced area, the Nigerian plays a beautiful cut back to find Mertens making the trailing run. In the typical fashion of the city’s adopted son, he slots it home in the bottom corner to level the match 1-1.
At this moment in time, Spaletti’s gamble paid off. Although I have the benefit of hindsight, it would have been wise for Spaletti to bring on Demme for Zielinski, restoring balance to Napoli’s midfield. But with the momentum turning in Napoli’s favor, it was Italiano making the adjustments to exploit Napoli’s new weakness. The substation of Jonathan Ikoné for Saponara provided pace and dynamism that would be useful on the counter, while Maleh coming in for Duncan gave fresh legs in the midfield.
Immediately after these substitutes came on, Lozano spoiled a golden chance for Napoli. Mertens and Osimhen linked up to break through Fiorentina’s midfield line. With Nikola Milenković stepping up to apply pressure on Osimhen, Mertens torpedoed into the vacant space once again. It wasn’t to be, with Biraghi deflecting the pass in behind from Lozano.
The match has now reached a state of permanent adrenaline. With another direct ball into space following an offside call, González leaves Mario Rui in the dust and Fiorentina have a numerical advantage on the counter attack. The ball is played across the box to Ikoné, who strikes it through the legs of Zanoli and into the bottom corner. Fiorentina lead 2-1.
Shortly after, Fiorentina score their third by capitalizing off a Napoli mistake. With Zielinski and Zanoli pushing higher up the pitch, Lobotka is left as the last safe option for Rrahmani to distribute the ball. Rather than playing the lateral pass to Lobotka, he decides to carry it through numerous defenders until he is dispossessed by Maleh. Maleh proceeds to play a ball out wide to Cabral, dribbling past Lobotka and putting away an exquisite curler at the far post. The score now reads 3-1 in favor of the Viola.
With the match looking increasingly out of reach, Napoli are unable to progress the ball through the center of the pitch due to the numerical advantages Fiorentina have in these zones. To avoid this, they overload wide areas with support from the full backs while continuing their barrage of long balls.
This culminates in two key chances for Napoli. First, a 76th minute cross from Lozano which is headed high by Mertens. This was followed by a pinpoint early cross from Mario Rui in the 84th minute, which was chested and volleyed home by Osimhen. Metrics from Understat show these two opportunities generating the most xG for Napoli all match, with 0.3 and 0.36 respectively.
A couple of set pieces which are questionably taken by newly substituted Ghoulam result is wasted opportunities. The match stagnates, until the ref blows the full time whistle in the 95th.
Conclusion
With Napoli falling 3-2, they are now third in the table with 66 points. This tally sees them tied with Inter (who have a game in hand) and behind AC Milan who now have 68 points. With six matches remaining, their Scudetto hopes took a massive blow but the inability of any top team to impose their will on this title leaves room for hope. In my opinion, the club were hard done to lose this match. Had Spaletti substituted Mertens for Zielinski, or balanced the midfield after Napoli’s equalizer, I believe the squad would have brought home at least one point.
On the flip side, Fiorentina continue to shake up the Seire A table and find themselves two points shy of a European place with a game in hand. It took three perfectly placed finishes to take down the Partenopei, with their last two finishes totaling 0.12 xG. Nevertheless, they bring three points back to the Renaissance city. Vincenzo Italiano has brought an identity to the Viola and Commisso seems committed to provide the funds needed to restore their glory. With a Coppa Italia still up for grabs, there’s still an outside chance they bring home silverware this season.