Stadio San Paolo hosted contentious contest between 7th and 8th placed sides in Serie A, with Napoli facing up against Sassuolo. This tactical analysis will break down the game that ended 2-0 to Napoli.
Napoli, led by former AC Milan player and coach, Gennaro Gattuso, have had mixed results recently, losing their last game against Parma, 2-1. Under Gattuso, they have placed less of an emphasis upon keeping possession, but where possible, this is their preferred style of play. Their play is typically dictated down the left flank, with the left-back (Mário Rui or Faouzi Ghoulam) more often than not sending a ball directly to the left-winger (usually Lorenzo Insigne), who will look to combine with the central midfielder to progress the ball into the final third. These tactics were present in this game, as will be analysed later on.
Sassuolo, managed by Roberto De Zerbi, have not won in three-game weeks before this match, but with very little to play for in the league table, motivation must be an issue at this point of the season. Before this game, Sassuolo were eight points behind Napoli, despite being just one place behind them in the league table. The reason behind this gap can generally be pointed towards their leaky defence, conceding 62 goals in 36 Serie A games. This analysis will take a deeper dive into this game, and Napoli managed to gain the advantage over Sassuolo in this match.
Lineups
Napoli lined up in a 4-1-4-1 formation, which looked to exploit the pace of their wingers with the use of through balls consistently. The lone striker in this game was Juventus target Arkadiusz Milik, who was supported by Lorenzo Insigne on the left-wing, and José Callejón on the right-wing. Milik’s departure from Napoli has been all but confirmed by Gattuso, and it seems we will see the Polish international play his football elsewhere next season.
Regarding the midfield, Gattuso went with Piotr Zieliński and Fabián Ruiz as the central midfield pivot, with both players having free reign to roam out of position, thanks to Stanislav Lobotka sat in the base of midfield. The back four consisted of Elseid Hysaj, Kalidou Koulibaly, Kostas Manolas, and Giovanni Di Lorenzo, with Portuguese Mário Rui not even making the bench in this game, despite no known injuries. Davide Ospina continues to be the first-choice goalkeeper in recent weeks.
Sassuolo set out in a 4-2-3-1 formation which looked to also favour the wings when attacking and depended on the dribbling abilities of their wingers. The #9 for De Zerbi’s side was Italian veteran Francesco ‘Ciccio’ Caputo, who was assisted by Hamed Junior Traorè on the left-wing, Domenico Berardi on the right-wing, and Filip Đuričić acting as the #10 in this game, where he has done the majority of his best work this season. Jeremie Boga was out of this game due to an injury, although he is also being pursued by Napoli for an ongoing deal with Sassuolo.
The two midfielders in this game were Regista Manuel Locatelli and record appearance holder Francesco Magnanelli, who would look to provide defensive cover. The back four consisted of Rogério, Gian Marco Ferrari, Marlon, and Mert Müldür, with Jeremy Toljan missing out on a starting berth due to a minor injury. Andrea Consigli remained as Sassuolo’s first-choice goalkeeper.
