The Serie A is finally back and it returned with a bang as Lazio and Napoli met on the opening night. It was two interesting teams facing off after an eventful summer. Napoli have hired Carlo Ancelotti as their new coach while Lazio have made some good signings. This tactical analysis will look at some of the talking points from the Serie A clash. The focus will be on Marek Hamsiks new role, Francesco Acerbis Lazio debut and how Napoli looked under their new coach.
Hamsiks new role
One of the main talking points from Napolis pre-season has been Ancelottis decision to use Marek Hamsik as his defensive midfielder. The Slovakian acts as the playmaker for Napoli and Saturdays game offered the first test of him in this new role. Hamsik mostly impressed, but there were some issues too.
In the above image, we see the basic deployment of Hamsik as the defensive midfielder with Allan to his right and Zielinski to his left. Also, note the narrow positioning of the front three which is interesting to follow under Ancelotti.
The below image highlights Lazios midfield marking which left Milan Badelj as a free man for the Biancocelesti. Theoretically, this should have made it difficult for Hamsik to control possession but he demonstrated great ability to escape marking.
![Lazio Vs Napoli [0–2] – Serie A 2025/2026: Maurizio Sarri Zonal Marking Weaknesses And Unsuccessful Attacking Choices – Tactical Analysis](https://totalfootballanalysis.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Lazio-Vs-Napoli-tactical-analysis--350x250.png "Lazio Vs Napoli [0–2] – Serie A 2025/2026: How Antonio Conte Tactics Exploited Structural Flaws – Tactical Analysis 4")
