Napoli Vs AS Roma [2–2] – Serie A 2025/2026: Derby Del Sole Drama In The Top-Four Race – Tactical Analysis

Napoli hosted AS Roma at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona recently, and Derby Del Sole ended in an entertaining 2-2 draw as both teams battled until the end for a winner.

The draw does not serve either Napoli or Roma, even though it is always better than a loss, especially for Roma, who were playing an away game.

At the same time, we can say the same about Napoli, who were behind in the scoreline and could have lost the match if not for a late equaliser.

Therefore, both teams have their reasons for accepting the draw, while regretting not doing more to win the three points.

As things stand, Napoli are in third place in Serie A, three points ahead of Roma, who are fourth, one point above Juventus.

This means that the battle for the top four spots at the end of the season will be fierce between these three teams, mainly, while counting AC Milan, who are second as well.

That’s why collecting the highest number of points during this period is fundamental to securing more chances to qualify for next season’s UEFA Champions League.

In this tactical analysis article, we explore the impact of Gian Piero Gasperini‘s new attacking signings while discussing Antonio Conte‘s in-game tactical flexibility issues.

Napoli Vs AS Roma Lineups & Formations

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

The midfield comprised Stanislav Lobotka and Eljif Elmas as central midfielders, Leonardo Spinazzola and Miguel Gutiérrez as wing-backs, Antonio Vergara and Matteo Politano as wingers, and Rasmus Højlund as the main striker.

On the other hand, Gian Piero Gasperini started the match in his preferred 3-4-2-1 formation, with Mile Svilar in goal and a defensive line of three centre-backs: Gianluca Mancini on the right, Evan Ndicka in the centre, and Daniele Ghilardi on the left.

The midfield line featured Zeki Çelik and Wesley França as right and left wing-backs, with Bryan Cristante and Niccolò Pisilli as central midfielders.

In attack, Gasperini used both Bryan Zaragoza and Lorenzo Pellegrini as advanced playmakers, with the new recruit Donyell Malen as the main striker.

Roma New Attacking Signings Impact Vs Rasmus Højlund Central Role & Antonio Conte Flexibility Issues

The match started in a very competitive and entertaining way for viewers, as both teams relied on high pressing and tight man marking and were capable of launching attacks and counterattacks, creating a lot of balance between them in the first few minutes of the game.

That said, both teams were solid enough at the back and neutralised the opponent’s actions during that starting period.

Napoli Rasmus Højlund Ball Protection Role Against Evan Ndicka

Napoli were even closer to creating attacking threats, mainly thanks to their reliance on Højlund’s improved ability to protect the ball and fix defenders inside the box; in this case, his direct opponent was Ndicka.

Højlund received a pass inside the box while blocking Ndicka and succeeded in providing a pass to his teammate, but Roma’s defenders were attentive and reactive enough to intercept the ball at the right moment.

A few minutes later, Højlund was successful in blocking Ndicka in the exact same way in order to control the ball and pass it without issues once again, confirming that his physical strength and ability to block defenders are becoming a key solution to Napoli’s attacking actions.

It helps a lot in advancing with the ball and especially in making the whole team advance after Højlund succeeds in winning his duel against Ndicka.

Succeeding in blocking Ndicka inside the box and outside the box can only confirm that Højlund’s role in terms of playmaking is becoming more central to Napoli’s system.

It is important to note that Højlund’s work in the following action helped Vergara get a lot of space for penetrating and shooting, but unfortunately for Napoli, the latter did not deal well with the situation and was not able to shoot on goal at the right moment despite having had the opportunity to do so but preferred to add an extra body feint/dribble.

Conte relies a lot on this type of stationary striker role for his team’s attacking build-up, and it is obvious that he has worked extensively with Højlund to achieve this result, just as he did with Romelu Lukaku previously to make him a better and more reliable stationary striker, especially during their time at Inter Milan.

Roma Bryan Zaragoza-Malen Duo Attacking Impact & Valuable Addition

Following these initial efforts from Napoli and their inability to convert the few created chances into goals, Roma bounced back with a very dangerous and quick vertical counterattack that was concluded with three excellent touches following Ndicka’s crucial interception of the ball:

• A vertical through pass from Mancini to Zaragoza.
• An excellent assist from Zaragoza to the direction of Malen in the form of a through pass.
• And a perfect finish by Malen with a first-time, powerful shot.

The action highlights Roma’s outstanding counterattacking potential and their players’ ability to quickly turn the tables on Napoli after they looked in difficulty when out of possession.

Roma’s attacking players’ movements without the ball and the excellent, quick passing from everyone involved in this action can only confirm that Roma have been working extensively to improve their counterattacking passing accuracy.

Furthermore, the passing and finishing quality of their new arrivals, Zaragoza and Malen, proved that both players are exactly what Gasperini needed to cement the success of his playing system and add more value to the efficient high-pressing, man-marking style he uses.

Previously, Gasperini’s team was good at launching counterattacks and making high recoveries, but failed to convert many of the chances they created into goals, which prevented Roma from earning more points this season.

But with the actual talented new signings, especially for the striker role, but also for Zaragoza, who is becoming a crucial wide playmaker, Roma are becoming much more dangerous in the attacking phase, and they are proving it in every game during this period.

Malen’s work without the ball to anticipate Napoli’s defender at the right time was crucial for successfully touching the ball without disturbance, as it helped him execute the shot in the best possible way.

The same applies to Zaragoza, who made the run at the perfect moment at the back of Buongiorno after he ensured that he was not in an offside position.

His intelligent acceleration and awareness of the importance of timing, as well as his immediate first-time pass to exploit Malen’s anticipation of his direct marker, were crucial to making this opportunity successful, as it was not as easy to execute as it may seem.

Antonio Conte In-Game Flexibility Issues

What limited Napoli’s attacking actions during that first period of the match was the lack of support from midfielders and wingers, as Napoli relied on Højlund for ball protection and backward passing to drive the team forward, but did not accompany him well enough to create numerical superiority inside the final third and be able to disturb Roma’s defence.

Apart from the absence of certain midfielders with attacking abilities, such as Scott McTominay and André-Frank Zambo Anguissa, Napoli’s first period of the match lacked the concrete attacking support of Elmas, Lobotka, and even Politano inside the final third and near the box.

The only one who was supporting Højlund and making himself available to receive passes in that key area was Vergara, but without being able to make the right decisions after getting the ball.

The solution finally came from Spinazzola, who scored the equaliser with a deflected shot from distance, before starting the second half with a better approach and more determination to score a second goal.

Conte then instructed his players to use the wide areas better, asking Politano, Spinazzola, Gutiérrez, and Vergara to move more out to the wings to avoid the crowded central areas.

However, he failed to make the required changes in order to put Roma’s defence in trouble and add attacking weapons inside their penalty area.

Despite having a powerful striker like Lukaku on the bench, Conte continued to rely on Højlund and made further midfield changes without changing the formation.

In this case, adding a second striker and forming an attacking duo of Højlund and Lukaku could have created significant confusion and problems for Roma’s defence, as Mancini was already booked and facing two physical strikers would surely have helped Napoli score more goals and threaten Roma more in the second half.

Conte’s inability to change formations during games is limiting Napoli’s potential, as a shift from the 3-4-3 to the 3-5-2, as outlined below, would have made Napoli much more dangerous in this match.

Napoli Alisson Santos Gamble

Despite that, Conte was still able to make impactful player changes without changing the formation, as his Alisson Santos substitution for Spinazzola made the difference for Napoli and added a needed freshness on the wing.

The Brazilian entered well into the match and was successful in his first two touches of the ball, attempting a penetration and a shooting try, but with no concrete success at first.

During his third attempt, he was able to surprise Roma’s goalkeeper with a powerful shot, executed without overcomplicating things following the usual great work of Højlund in terms of ball protection against Ndicka and passing.

Conclusion

Roma failed to protect their advantage despite having exploited half-chances initially and despite their excellent first-half performance.

Addressing their second-half performances is an area of improvement that needs to be looked at very soon in order to avoid losing precious points.

Roma’s defending in the second half was not as solid as in the first, and the same applies to their attacking performance.

Working on balancing their first-half and second-half performances, whether by focusing on concentration levels or by working on the physical consistency of the players, will be needed for the upcoming games if Roma plans on losing fewer points going forward.

For Napoli, the reaction of the last minutes of the game was remarkable and highlighted the strong personality of the team.

But having more flexibility and courage in in-game formation changes, especially in attack, will surely help Napoli become less predictable, as it would support Højlund inside the box during key moments.