Napoli, Neres's vivacity and Conte's certainties: the lethal mix against Udinese

Naples, 15 December 2024 – A direct question after the match, Antonio Conte he has misled, if not denied: during the half-time of the match Blueenergy Stadium nothing happened, reiterating that his Napoli He dominated that match from the start despite the goal conceded at the hands of Florian Thauvin. In part the Salento coach, who expected answers from his players after the double defeat with the Lazio between Coppa Italia and championship, is right, but it must be said that something has changed in the eyes of the Azzurri upon returning from the locker room. Grit, conviction, determination or simply that pinch of confidence in their own abilities that often makes the difference in football: whatever you want to call it, something in the Napoli entered the field in the second half and immediately appeared different. And, in these cases, as a natural consequence the entire match goes in the right direction.  

A victory full of meanings

It happens like this that Scott McTominay find the right hole for Romelu Lukaku, which in turn interrupts a fast that before the kick-off of the match stood at 217 ': with the general hope, and probably especially of the interested party, that from now on there will be greater consistency in the goal area. Then it happens that David Neres, the best of his team, once again tears the Juventus defence to pieces, finding the lucky deflection of Lautaro Giannetti on a shot that, in truth, seemed like a wet rag destined to end up on the bottom. And it happens that Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa he returns to highlight the shortcomings of the central corridor of the Friulians with another winning percussion, almost a carbon copy of that of his teammate. The final result is a 3-1 for Napoli rich in meanings. The first, it goes without saying, has its roots in the ranking: with aAtalanta so rustic and with the wind in its sails in every possible sense, losing or even just not winning would have entailed the risk of having to scale down one's objectives, if not definitively but in any case for the next few weeks, in turn preceded by the (sportingly) dramatic three days against the Lazio which had opened several cracks within an environment that was both passionate and demanding.

The second, just to stick to the most important ones, concerns exactly what happened in the last week, with the Napoli in fact already out of the second and final seasonal objective, the Coppa Italia, and for the first time also hit by the criticism of friendly fire. The same Tale, in an unprecedented way since his grand arrival on the blue bench, had ended up in the meat grinder of a bit of everyone between 'enemies', friends and those who simply had not appreciated the choice, by express and considered declaration, to sacrifice the national competition to give precedence to the championship: a move that among other things, usually, does not bring much good. In fact, even a coach universally considered lucky like Tale had to bow his head before the double lesson inflicted by the Lazio, good and lucky to beat twice in the space of 72 hours the then leader Napoli. Having atoned for the 'guilt', not without first having publicly downplayed what happened between Thursday and Sunday evening, Tale he got back on the right track, bringing us back up again as well Napoli.

The brio of Neres and the certainties of Conte

Who expected or even hoped for a technical-tactical revolution after the two slaps received by the 'normal one' Marco Baroni you will surely have been amazed by the choices of the Blueenergy Stadium, in turn spoiled from the forced absence of Khvisha Kvaratskhelia. So, first of all no change of module perhaps to try to wake up from the torpor Lukaku: with all due respect to those who already wanted to overturn everything in spite of the exponential growth that the team had in just a few months of work, we are moving forward with the 4-3-3, the scheme that in fact also historically made the fortunes of the Napoli. Then, despite the double defeat suffered by the reserves and the starters in the three-day black match with the Lazio, there are no upheavals on the field at the hierarchical level.

After all, just like from Tale thought reiterated on several occasions, even and above all in the best days, the Azzurri had to (re)build everything from the foundations precisely to ensure they did not swing dangerously at the first storm winds. Said, done: the Napoli falls but also knows how to get back up. He proved it after the horror debut of Bentegodi, after the hat-trick inflicted at home byAtalanta but even more so after the two signed slaps Lazio, who in turn were leaving traces in the first half of Udine. He says well Tale: the Azzurri had played well and created a lot even in the first 45 minutes of the match, but something at the mental level seemed to be dangerously wavering. Then, as has already happened several times this season and also in less complicated moments, after the break the right click was made in the Neapolitans' heads, between team play and individuals, to the point that this time those substitutions considered a bit late appeared to be perfectly timed. The power of results, one might say.

And also the power of the episodes: who knows if without the mocking touch on one's own door Giannetti di Neres we would still have been talking about a chaotic and almost confusing player. Instead, it was precisely the tactical anarchy of the Brazilian, who yesterday played on his least-loved lane, that actually ignited the Napoli, shaking off the blanket that has fallen over the last week. On the one hand the vivacity of Neres and on the other hand the almost scientific precision of Tale and its fixed points: a lethal mix for theUdinese and, who knows, waiting for the return of kvaratskhelia to be proposed again perhaps also in the other lane. Of course, Matteo Politano, another one who with his dirty work serves like bread to the Napoli, he won't agree, but with the five changes there is room for everyone. Even though now without even the Coppa Italia.

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