Low xG: How Napoli prevented Juventus from creating high-quality chances in Serie A

Juventus have been the champions of the Serie A for nearly the whole of the last decade, having won the title consecutively since the 2011/12 season. This year, however, there is a real threat to their throne with the likes of Inter and AC Milan already with an eight and seven-point lead over them respectively, albeit having played a game more. Juventus had been hoping to close that gap against Napoli but Gennaro Gattuso’s side had their own ideas, looking to get closer to the top as well. Despite a game that saw Cristiano Ronaldo and co. take 24 shots and have the bulk of possession, it was Napoli that came away with a 1-0 win and in this tactical analysis, we will see just how they managed to take the crucial three points.

Lineups

Both sides lined up in a 4-4-2 although we have seen Gattuso and Andrea Pirlo change these tactics during the game. Lorenzo Insigne has often had a free role for Napoli in order to aid the build-up and summer signing Victor Osimhen started for the second game running. Hirving Lozano started down the left as well, as Napoli looked to see a change in form, having been winless in their last three fixtures across all competitions.

As for Juventus, the talismanic Ronaldo started upfront along with Álvaro Morata. Federico Chiesa and Federico Bernardeschi started down the wings while Juan Cuadrado started at right-back. We have often seen Pirlo modify the shape to a back three with wing-backs with Cuadrado and Danilo pushing forward while one of the central midfielders drop down to the backline. Having seen the lineups, let us not get into the analysis of the game.