Napoli hosted Inter Milan in what was a major battle in the title race.
Inter succeeded in avoiding defeat at a very difficult stadium against one of the toughest teams this season, if not the toughest, as Napoli have been the favourites for the title since the start of the campaign.
At the same time, Inter can consider this draw a negative result as they were the first to score and could have protected their advantage for longer since they conceded the equalising goal near the end of the game.
We can say that Inter passed this difficult test with relative success.
The draw suits their standings, keeping them at the top and Napoli at the second spot.
Nevertheless, Inter will be playing under huge pressure for the matches to come, as Napoli will be waiting for the slightest negative result from the Nerazzurri to surpass them in the standings.
That’s why it will be crucial for Inter to pay extreme attention to these upcoming games.
Their mission will be much more tiring and riskier than that of Napoli.
This is mainly because Inter will play in three competitions simultaneously, while Napoli will focus only on Serie A.
If Simone Inzaghi makes mistakes in managing his players’ energies at the end of the season, this could make a difference.
The fact that Inter will soon play two crucial matches against Feyenoord in the UEFA Champions League and two other decisive matches against Milan in the Coppa Italia adds to the complexity of its mission.
This will make Inter’s calendar very tough and busy for the two months to come, especially if they qualify for the next UEFA Champions League round.
In the meantime, Inter will have to prepare very well for Serie A encounters that can decide the fate of this season’s title.
These include the away game against Atalanta, which comes right after the second leg of the UEFA Champions League game; some tough away games at Parma, Torino, and Bologna; and risky games against Udinese, Verona, Roma, and Lazio.
For Napoli, however, scoring late in the game made this draw look like a win, given that it was not easy at all to avoid conceding a second goal during the match and especially to keep pushing for scoring a goal that finally arrived and saved Napoli from losing the title to Inter.
If we consider what remains in terms of matches for Napoli, we can argue that Napoli have the possibility of finishing the season with no more negative results (losses or draws) and hope for a draw or a loss from Inter Milan to retake the lead of Serie A.
The games against Fiorentina, Milan, away at Bologna, away at Monza, away at Lecce, and away at Parma are all risky games that need Antonio Conte’s side to give them the maximum attention and preparation in order to keep challenging for the title until the last breath.
This tactical analysis article will explore both teams’ tactics and formations and study their strengths and errors in this game.
The analysis will also shed light on both teams’ styles of play, what they had to avoid during this match, and what they should change for the upcoming ones.
Napoli Vs Inter Milan Lineups & Formations
Antonio Conte’s Napoli started the match according to their usual 3-5-2 formation with only one change compared to their last match: Billy Gilmour instead of the injured André-Frank Zambo Anguissa.
The line-up was the following: Alex Meret as a goalkeeper, Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Amir Rrahmani and Alessandro Buongiorno as the three centre-backs, Billy Gilmour, Stanislav Lobotka and Scott McTominay as the three midfielders, Matteo Politano as the right-winger, Leonardo Spinazzola as the left-winger, with an attacking duo composed of Romelu Lukaku and Giacomo Raspadori.
Simone Inzaghi’s tactics also opted for his usual 3-5-2 formation, but with some changes, especially in defence.
He had to use Josep Martínez as the starting goalkeeper instead of the injured Yan Sommer and favour Yann Bisseck as a right centre-back over Benjamin Pavard.
Inter Milan’s formation was as follows: Josep Martínez as a goalkeeper, Alessandro Bastoni, Francesco Acerbi, and Yann Bisseck as the three centre-backs, Nicolò Barella, Hakan Çalhanoğlu, and Henrikh Mkhitaryan as midfielders, Federico Dimarco and Denzel Dumfries as wing-backs, and an attacking duo made up of Lautaro Martínez and Marcus Thuram.
Inter Milan’s Performance & Defensive Mistakes
Inter were able to absorb Napoli’s initial pressing and attempts to score early as they were attentive enough in the defensive phase.
Thanks to tight marking and continuous support from midfield, they succeeded in limiting Lukaku and Raspadori’s danger.
That being said, they did concede some dangerous opportunities in the first part of the first half, especially McTominay’s missed chance at the 18th minute following a through pass from Lukaku and a mistimed marking attempt on McTominay from Bisseck.
McTominay’s penetrations from midfield could have put Inter in trouble, especially during this action.
The Scottish international touched the ball after he intelligently avoided Bisseck but failed to shoot the ball properly.
That’s why Bisseck’s defending in this action should have been much more crucial, as he could have followed McTominay’s feint before the ball was passed.
Instead, Bisseck did not notice McTominay’s feint because he was running with his back to McTominay, which led to arriving a few seconds late, allowing him to shoot on goal.
Bisseck’s Defending Against McTominay
Inter were capable of reacting quickly by attacking and trying to put Napoli in danger even though they failed to find spaces at the back of Napoli’s defence.
Reaching Napoli’s final third and not losing the ball in that area allowed Inter to win a dangerous free-kick near the edge of the box since that was Napoli’s only way to avoid Inter’s shots from distance and penetration attempts.
Thanks to Dimarco’s shooting quality, Inter converted that free kick into a beautiful goal.
He scored one of his best-ever free kicks at the perfect occasion, further highlighting his strong personality and importance to the team as an attacking left back and a set-piece taker.
Dimarco’s Free-kick
They succeeded in countering many of the attempts and in limiting the danger of Napoli’s attacking weapons, knowing that most of Napoli’s danger was created from their right wing prior to crossing or passing to the box.
That being said, Inter’s defence was also a bit lucky on some occasions, as they did commit dangerous marking errors that could have led to goals.
The next picture shows how Bisseck forgot to retreat and fill his spot as a right centre-back, leaving a striker like Lukaku unmarked near the box when Napoli were in possession.
Lukaku immediately noticed the space offered to him and asked for the ball to receive it quickly since Gilmour saw him right away.
Çalhanoğlu, who was covering for Bisseck, was a bit lost and failed to disturb Lukaku.
He also kept some distance from him, allowing the Belgian international to attempt a volley without disturbance.
Luckily for Inter Milan, Lukaku’s attempt was not accurate enough to hit the target.
However, this means that Inter Milan’s defence was not perfect in this game, and the players need more marking discipline and instructions to avoid repeating such mistakes in the coming games.
Bisseck & Çalhanoğlu’s Defensive Errors
But luckily for Inter Milan, Raspadori lost the ball at the shooting moment due to poor control.
Bisseck & Acerbi Vs Raspadori
Bastoni, Acerbi, and Bisseck countered many of Lukaku and Raspadori’s shots and did well in intensifying their marking inside the box, especially during crosses or set-pieces.
Napoli’s Comeback
First of all, Napoli’s performance in this match was excellent.
They did their best to cope with Inter Milan’s level, limit their attacking danger, and attack with intensity throughout the match, whether using counter-attacks or attacking from the wings using through passes, cutting inside, and penetrations.
Being capable of attacking with intensity and creating numerous goalscoring opportunities against a team like Inter showcases why Napoli are continuing their journey towards the title and are still battling for the title.
What was frustrating for the team and the fans, however, was that Napoli missed numerous opportunities.
If not for Raspadori, Lukaku, and McTominay’s misses, Napoli could have scored more than one goal and won the game.
One of the most frustrating misses is Raspadori’s miss in front of an empty goal after he succeeded in dribbling past the goalkeeper and exploiting the confusion in Inter’s defence.
This lack of concentration and frustrating mistakes can be considered as the main reasons for Napoli’s draw, as everything else was good enough from Napoli, except for the foul that led to Inter’s goal.
Raspadori’s Missed Chance
The goal highlights Lobotka’s importance within the team’s midfield, especially in the absence of the valuable Anguissa.
Lobotka’s playmaking abilities, agility, and passing accuracy made the goal action possible.
He initiated the action before exchanging passes, penetrating towards the box, and providing an assist to Billing at the perfect timing.
Billing’s Crucial Goal
Conclusion
Indeed, Napoli will probably regret the missed chances created in this match, yet, they should be satisfied with their excellent performance and work on being more crucial in front of goal for the upcoming games.
On the other hand, Inter can also be satisfied with their defensive performance and the point they won from this match, even though they could have been more solid at the back to avoid many of Napoli’s chances.
