Napoli Vs Como [1–1 (6-7)] – Coppa Italia 2025/2026: Cesc Fàbregas’ Calculated Gamble Pays Off – Tactical Analysis

Napoli hosted Como at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona for the quarter-finals of the Coppa Italia and lost the game on penalties following a 1-1 draw.

Both teams feared a defeat and were cautious in this match, especially after scoring one goal each.

The loss was disappointing for Napoli, who have lost almost everything this season and will finish the season with a single target: securing a place in the top four in the Serie A standings.

This can be considered a failure for the team and the head coach, even though the circumstances, and especially the injuries, did not serve the team well.

That said, it cannot be acceptable for a team that won the Serie A title last season to be knocked out following the UEFA Champions League group stage, as that was even more disappointing compared to the elimination from the Coppa Italia.

On the other hand, Como arrived in Napoli without pressure and with the aim of going as far as possible in this tournament.

Como achieved their objective at the end of the day, even though they did not play their usual attacking football throughout the match and adopted a different approach to the game.

In this tactical analysis article, we examine the factors that prevented Napoli from scoring a second goal and from attacking effectively, particularly in the first half, and assess the role of Nico Paz in the game.

Napoli Vs Como Lineups & Formations

Antonio Conte started the match using a 3-4-3 formation, with Vanja Milinković-Savić as goalkeeper and a defensive line of Juan Jesus, Amir Rrahmani, and Sam Beukema.

The midfield comprised Stanislav Lobotka and Eljif Elmas as central midfielders, Pasquale Mazzocchi and Mathías Olivera as wing-backs, Antonio Vergara and Giovane as wingers, and Rasmus Højlund as the main striker.

On the other hand, Cesc Fàbregas started the match in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Jean Butez as the goalkeeper, Jacobo Ramón and Diego Carlos as centre-backs, Ivan Smolčić as a right-back, and Álex Valle as a left-back.

The midfield comprised Sergi Roberto and Máximo Perrone as central midfielders, with Maxence Caqueret as an attacking midfielder.

Upfront, the attacking line was made up of Jayden Addai as a right winger, Martin Baturina as a left winger, and Paz as the team’s main striker, or rather false nine.

Napoli Final Passing Errors & Como Change Of Approach

Napoli started the match with calculated caution and with the objective of stopping or at least limiting Como’s attacking plans.

Conte was aware of Como’s possession ambitions and their continuous desire to keep the ball in the opponent’s half, employing a quick-passing system that attacks from the wings and exploits numerical superiority on those sides.

Como Use Of Nico Paz As A False Nine

Moreover, Fàbregas’ reliance on Paz as the team’s striker suggested that he would play as a false nine, retreat frequently, and move to the wings without the ball.

This meant that Paz would not remain inside the penalty area as a regular striker and would frequently move outside it to escape marking and create space for his teammates, while attempting to maintain numerical superiority elsewhere through his off-the-ball movement.

Being aware of this plan enabled Napoli to prepare their defensive organisation in advance and avoid surprises by applying man-marking to Paz throughout the field, not only inside the penalty area.

Jesus followed Paz wherever he went, which limited the player’s contribution to playmaking on many occasions.

The following picture highlights Jesus’ disciplined defensive work as he followed Paz into his team’s half and prevented him from turning and dribbling past him after Paz had provided a passing option to his teammate in an attempt to save the team from Napoli’s high pressing.

But, Jesus anticipated Paz’s solution and intercepted the ball from him.

Throughout this match, Como could have exploited Paz’s retreating more efficiently as Jesus was leaving spaces at his back whenever he followed Paz.

However, Como’s wingers and midfielders failed to exploit the spaces created inside the box well enough during such situations.

Neither Baturina nor Addai posed a sufficient threat, even when Jesus was absent, because their efforts were limited to the wings rather than the penalty area.

Napoli Lack Of Playmaking Quality

This match revealed that Napoli were suffering from a lack of quality in playmaking, particularly in key passes and final passes behind Como’s defensive line.

It is important to note that Como adopted a different approach to this game than their usual playing system.

Fàbregas instructed his players to defend in a 4-4-2 formation in this match to ensure greater presence in midfield and defence, with two lines of defence and a lower defensive block compared with their previous games.

This more defensive approach helped Como contain Napoli’s attacking threats, particularly in the first half.

However, it also limited their attacking performance, as Como were less dangerous than usual.

Napoli appeared surprised by Como’s different approach, especially in the first half, and this was evident in Napoli’s actions, which were unconvincing and lacked quality.

The following image highlights one of the opportunities Napoli could have exploited to threaten their goal.

It shows Vergara controlling the ball without rushing, yet failing to provide an accurate through pass to Olivera at the back of the defensive line.

This could easily have been a goal-scoring opportunity or a highly dangerous one for Napoli if Olivera had received the pass, given that Højlund was waiting for a potential cross from that wing and would likely have anticipated his direct marker meeting it in time.

Such passing decisions illustrate a lack of maturity and an inability among some of Napoli’s players to consistently provide key passes, underscoring the importance of having their starting midfielders back, who can surely guarantee more dangerous passing in such crucial situations.

Napoli Final Passing Problem Vs Como

Furthermore, the fact that two defenders tightly marked Højlund and were not moving a lot to get closer to the wingers when out of possession limited Napoli’s attacking actions in the first half even further, and that’s what led Conte to instruct Højlund to do so explicitly.

That said, Napoli did not exploit Højlund’s anticipatory movements in the penalty area during the first half, as they could have scored earlier than Como had they served him more accurately.

Failing to serve him effectively was partly due to Como’s solid defending and partly to the poor passing decisions of some Napoli players in key situations.

The following action highlights one of Napoli’s most dangerous chances of the match, and the fact that Vergara failed to provide an accurate pass to Højlund after he succeeded in beating his direct marker with a dribble confirms the issue of final passing for Napoli in this match, as that is what limited them from scoring more than one goal.

Napoli Second-Half Reaction & Rasmus Højlund Rewarding Movements

Things improved for Napoli in the second half, mainly because Højlund moved between the lines and near the wings, drawing defenders to him and creating space behind him for his teammates to exploit.

The idea was immediately successful, as Napoli equalised thanks to Højlund’s creative movement and a key pass to Vergara.

The action further confirms Højlund’s intelligence in such situations, as he continues to impress with his anticipatory movements, without the ball, both inside and outside the penalty area.

Additionally, his first-time key pass highlights his awareness of Vergara’s movement at his back, as well as his improving vision and key-passing accuracy.

Moreover, Vergara’s acceleration and cold-blooded finishing further confirm that this promising attacking player has become a highly useful player for Conte’s system and will already attract the interest of several teams during the summer window, even if Napoli will not keep him within the senior team.

Unfortunately for Napoli, however, they were unable to build on this goal to add the winning goal.

They failed to create dangerous attacking opportunities despite the attacking chances they created.

Conclusion

Como appeared somewhat more dangerous in the second half with the inclusion of a proper striker, but failed to convert the chances they created into goals.

Their ability to execute smooth passing combinations and intelligent passes helped them disrupt Napoli more in the second half than in the first.

However, Como’s priority in this match was to avoid losing to Napoli at the expense of their usual attacking system.

This was one of the first times Fàbregas changed his tactical approach, adopting a more defensive one to avoid elimination from the Coppa Italia against a strong opponent.

Doing so can only help the team become more collectively mature and better adapt to the different needs of each game going forward.

On the other hand, Napoli’s absences are affecting the team heavily at the moment, as failing to score a second goal against Como was partly due to a lack of midfielders with excellent passing qualities, as Napoli’s players made mistakes mainly in the final pass execution.

Recovering key players will benefit Napoli, even though they have already lost two of their season-long objectives: the Coppa Italia and the UEFA Champions League.