Napoli and Roma’s all star attacks draw a blank

What do you get when you put two of the slickest, most entertaining sides in Serie A together? No goals, few chances and one of the more disappointing ‘big’ games of the season so far

When two of the best attacking units in Serie A collided as Napoli metRoma on Sunday, it was their defences who were on top in a 0-0 stalemate at the San Paolo.

Having managed 60 goals between them in their combined 30 league matches so far this season, goals were expected but in truth, clear cut chances were few and far between on a crisp Campania evening.

The result leaves Napoli three points ahead of their capital city rivals in the Serie A standings and also means they remain four behind table-toppers Inter.

Aside from a few early jitters, there was no glaring sense of Roma’s deficiencies in the Derby del Sole’s initial feeling out process, as they squeezed out the space for the hosts and didn’t allow them to move freely in possession.

The usual early onslaught and dizzying tempo that Napoli have started many games this season with was lacking, as both Jorginho and Marek Hamsik were slightly off with their final ball when goal chances beckoned for the Partenopei.

Lorenzo Insigne and Kostas Manolas both blasted chances off target at either end as the match began to open up into its second quarter but the Napoli forward’s decision making continued to frustrate his teammates as the half wore on, shooting from the acutest of angles on more than one occasion.

So despite plenty of endeavour, the real eye-catching moment of the first half turned out to be seven minutes from the end, when the main stand side linesman was forced off with an injury after pulling up as he tried to track a far post run from Higuain.

After the restart, the Argentine was caught on his heels after Faouzi Ghoulam sent a sublime low ball across the face of goal and on the hour mark, the best chance of the match arrived when Marek Hamsik was played in on the left by Higuain but he dragged his shot inches wide of the far post.

The Slovakian was denied by Wojciech Szczesny in a late flurry of action that also saw Dries Mertens’ penalty appeals waved away and Daniele De Rossi see his headed goal ruled out after the referee ruled that Antonio Rudiger’s cross exited the field of play before curling back in as the sides were forced to settle for a point apiece, with Roma the more relieved after Omar El Kaddouri shinned wide in injury time from five yards.

Napoli’s next game see them take on northern rivals Hellas Verona at the Stadio San Paolo in the Coppa Italia on Wednesday, the same day that Roma entertain Spezia.

nguon:  gazzettaworld.gazzetta

Napoli eye January swoop for Man United def

Manchester United fans in the Transfer Tavern have sunk many pints in commiseration this weekend, as they play darts and discuss what changes they need to make in January.

Outgoing deals are not often discussed though but one story has taken the forefront this afternoon, as Metro state Napoli want to sign Manchester United defender Guillermo Varela in January.

The Uruguayan defender was David Moyes’ first signing at the club in 2013 but only recently made his debut in last weekend’s 0-0 draw with West Ham, where he impressed and was handed a start for United’s disastrous Champions League defeat to Wolfsburg.

22-year-old Varela is targeted by the Italian side, with Napoli wanting to sign him on a permanent basis in January before sending him on-loan for the remainder of the current campaign.

Fans in the bar were surprised by the context of the report, initially believing Napoli wanted to secure a loan deal. However, they’re now concerned that another top talent could be prized from their clutches.

United fans, should Varela be offloaded in January? Let us know in the comments below!

nguon:  www.footballtransfertavern

Napoli player ratings: Formidable Koulibaly keeps Roma in check

As the Derby del Sole failed to live up to its goalscoring hype, the Partenopei defence compensated for their lacklustre attack and ensured that Maurizio Sarri’s men avoided defeat in this crucial Serie A clash

Despite the great anticipation surrounding this offensive encounter, the in-form Napoli strike force was easily overshadowed by the mighty Kalidou Koulibaly during their 0-0 draw against Roma at the Stadio San Paolo.

In what turned out to be a tactical struggle between the two sides, the Azzurri central defender led his defence expertly well and managed to suppress the Giallorossi attack throughout the arduous 90 minutes.

In stark comparison to the trail-blazing defender, Napoli’s strikers ultimately faltered during his intense Serie A clash, and Lorenzo Insigne’s wastefulness was equally matched by Gonzalo Higuain’s lack of awareness.

Napoli

Pepe Reina – 6

A surprisingly easy evening for the Spaniard against the Roman side, who were expected to offer considerably more up front. He did produce two important saves however, which ultimately defined his decent display.

Elseid Hysaj – 6

A slightly apprehensive performance from the former Empoli man, although his work-rate was impeccable and he was a constant presence down the right flank. His crossing was persistent, even if it did lack precision.

Raul Albiol – 6

Both Albiol and his defensive counterpart Koulibaly did an expert job in containing the Bosnian Edin Dzeko, and he will be pleased to have kept a clean sheet during such a vital match.

Kalidou Koulibaly – 7

The bruising defender was absolutely superb for the Partenopei, combining his solid defensive nature along with his improving ability to organise the Azzurri defence.

Faouzi Ghoulam – 6.5

A subdued first half from the rampant full-back, who swiftly altered his game-plan following the interval and provided some succulent crosses for his misfiring attack.

Allan – 6

The menacing midfielder may well have met his match during this fervent Serie A encounter, as Radja Nainggolan was just as bothersome in the centre of midfield. His unforgiving presence was still noticable during the match, although his influence was slightly diluted due to his impressive adversary.

Jorginho – 5.5

The 23-year-old was caught out during this tactical minefield of a match, as Miralem Pjanic followed the player’s tracks throughout. He subsequently struggled to find the essential space upon the pitch and failed to make a significant impact for Maurizio Sarri’s men.

Marek Hamsik – 6.5

The most inspirational offensive player amongst the Napoli side, who constantly aimed to seek out his his attacking teammates and provide them with the killer ball.

Jose Callejon – 5.5

The Spaniard was monitored well by Lucas Digne during the game and the winger ultimately lacked the movement or awareness to escape his marker. A slightly static display and never really linked up with his fellow strikers.

Lorenzo Insigne – 5.5

The native Neapolitan tried to too hard during this wasteful display and his desire to get on the scoresheet ultimately hampered his side’s chances of obtaining the victory. On numerous occasions, Insigne wrongfully opted to shoot rather than cross, much to the frustration of his awaiting attackers.

Gonzalo Higuain – 5.5

Was a victim of Insigne’s selfishness and did lack service during the match. However his movement was not up to his usual best, which obviously contributed to his failure to create clear goalscoring chances.

Substitutes

Dries Mertens – 6.5

Following his second half arrival, the Belgian immediately tried to stamp his authority upon the game and directed his play straight towards the opposition goalmouth. His intricate play very nearly led to a winner in the dying minutes, although his swerving shot was saved well by the Roma goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny.

nguon: gazzettaworld.gazzetta

Ultra impressive Napoli looking to seal Europa League progress

They boast both the competition’s best attack and defence and will go through as group winners if they overcome Midtjylland once more, this time at the Stadio San Paolo

Napoli, the highest scorers in this season’s Europa League group stages, can make sure of their place in the round of 32 with a win over Midtjylland on Thursday.

Having won all three of their games so far in convincing fashion, a repeat performance of their 4-1 thrashing of the Danes away from homewould see them reach the knockout stages of a competition they reached the final four in last season.

As well as being the Europa League’s best team in front of goal, averaging 3.67 goals per game, Napoli also have the meanest defence. Along with PAOK, they are the only teams so have let in a solitary goal in over 280 minutes of action so far.

The Partenopei, one of only three teams to have a 100 percent record in the tournament, will top the group with a win and will qualify even if they fail to pick up the three points, provided the game between Club Brugge and Legia Warsaw ends in a draw.

Injuries and Suspensions

As has so often been the case with the Azzurri in this season’s competition, Maurizio Sarri will use the match as a chance to shuffle his pack somewhat, ahead of Sunday’s Serie A fixture against Udinese.

The former Empoli coach will not risk Dries Mertens against the Danes after he strained his right thigh in their 0-0 draw away to Genoa last weekend.

Allan is set to be the only other absentee as the hard-working Brazilian will be rested for the fixture and replaced in midfield by David Lopez.

History

Napoli’s 4-1 win in Denmark was the only previous meeting of the sides in any fixture and was the Italian side’s second win against opposition from the Scandinavian nation.

In 1966, they eliminated Odense from the Fairs Cup, while in their meeting with Midtjylland two weeks ago, it was only the second time the Danes have conceded four goals at home in Europe.

Midtjylland will be boosted by their good away form on the road though, having scored in their last 10 European games, which have yielded seven victories and only two defeats but Napoli are unbeaten in their last 14 home matches in continental competition with 10 wins and four draws.

Player to Watch: Manolo Gabbiadini

The former Sampdoria forward will likely get another chance to impress against the Ulvene, as he did in the first leg.

He has found opportunities hard to come by this season and there is speculation that he could choose to leave in an attempt to find first team football in January but he was at the top of his game in Dermark, scoring his first two goals in Europe.

nguon: gazzettaworld.gazzetta

Napoli 5-0 FC Midtjylland: Partenopei Breeze Into Europa League Knockout Stages

Napoli confirmed their place in the Round of 32 of the Europa League with a resounding 5-0 win at home to FC Midtjylland with goals from Omar El Kaddouri, a double fromManolo Gabbiadini, Christian Maggio andJose Callejon.

Maurizio Sarri opted to rest several first team players including Gonzalo Higuain ahead of their match against Udinese at the weekend.

The home side threatened early on with El Kaddouri and Lorenzo Insigne going close to gifting the Partenopei the lead.

It took only 13 minutes however for the home team to break the deadlock as Insigne’s pass found El Kaddouri and the Moroccan international was able to beat goalkeeper Andersen with a left footed shot.

Sarri’s men kept bombarding the away side’s goal and doubled their lead on 23 minutes when Insigne’s shot was saved by Andersen but Gabbiadini was in the right place at the right time to tuck the ball into the back of the net.

Napoli continued to keep possession with Midtjylland putting men behind the ball.

The third goal came seven minutes before half time when Ivan Strinic crossed the ball from the left hand side and the ball eventually made its way to Gabbiadini for his second consecutive brace in Europa League matches.

The second half was a case of more of the same for the Azzurri and they made it 4-0 with a galloping run from Christian Maggio all the way into the box and a shot that beat Andersen on 55 minutes

Midfielder Allan could have added a fifth minutes later but his shot from distance was saved by Andersen.

Substitute Callejon made it 5-0 with a near post header from a Mirko Valdifiori header.

Napoli’s victory means they maintain their 100% record in the group and comfortably qualify for the Round of 32.

nguon:  forzaitalianfootball

PREDIKSI Juventus vs Napoli: Haus Kemenangan!

Sepakbola.com - Juventus memang baru saja meraih gelar kedua mereka musim ini, Coppa Italia setelah berhasil mengalahkan Lazio di babak final. Namun menghadapi Napoli di laga lanjutan Serie A nanti, bukan berarti Bianconeri akan mengendurkan permainannya karena mereka sendiri selalu mengatakan jika mereka adalah tim yang haus akan kemenangan. Berikut prediksi Juventus vs Napoli dari Sepakbola.com.

 

Napoli harus waspada, itu pasti. Pasalnya penampilan Juventus musim ini tidak hanya meyakinkan di level domestik saja, tapi juga di kompetisi Eropa setelah mereka akan tampil di laga final Liga Champions mengahadapi Barcelona nanti. Sementara Napoli, penampilannya masih terus naik turun, sempat menanjak, namun kembali terhempas oleh Dnipro di ajang Liga Europa.

 

Selain itu jika mengintip kepada sejarah enam pertemuan terkahir Juve dengan Napoli mereka berhasil meraih tiga kemenagnan, satu laga berakhir imbang dan dua laga dimenangkan Napoli. Namun di pertemuan terkahir, Juventus berhasil menang dengan skor 3-1 pada awal tahun ini.

 

 

PLAYER TO WATCH:

 

Alvaro Morata (Juventus)

 

Catatan gol Morata untuk Juventus memang baru 14 gol dari 39 penampilan di semua kompetisi. Namun gol-gol yang dicetaknya ini kerap kali menjadi penentu kemenangan bagi Juventus, sebelumnya gol Morata juga menjadi gol penentu Bianconeri untuk melaju ke babak final lalu ia juga menjadi penentu kemangan di laga berikutnya menghadapi Inter Milan.

 

 

PREDIKSI LINE-UP:

 

Juventus: Buffon - Lichtsteiner, Barzagli, Bonucci, Padoin - Pereyra, Pogba, Sturaro - Pogba- Morata, Matri

 

Napoli: Andujar - Mesto, Albiol, Koulibaly, Ghoulam - Jorginho, Lopez - Callejon, Hamsik, Mertens - Gabbiadini

 

 

PREDIKSI:

 

Di laga nanti Juventus jelas akan dinaungi moral tinggi setelah kembali memantapkan dominasi mereka di level domestik. Bianconeri juga diprediksi akan mencuri gol di laga menghadapi Napoli nanti lewat eksekusi bola mati sementara Il Partenopei akan lebih mengandalkan serangan dari sayap. Juventus juga yang biasa bermain dengan bola tusukan dari tengah diprediksi bisa mengakhiri laga dengan kemenangan 2-0. (rusy)

Napoli vs Kalloni 3-1 Highlights 2014 Friendly

Napoli registered a win against Kalloni in the match of Club Friendly. Napoli vsKalloni match ended with 3-1 scoreline in Club Friendly 2014.

Napoli 3-1 Kalloni Goals

Napoli vs Kalloni 1-0 (Jose Maria Callejon scored goal vs Olympiakos)

Napoli vs Kalloni 2-0 (Jose Maria Callejon scored goal vs Olympiakos)

Napoli vs Kalloni 3-0 (Anestis Anastasiadis scored OWN goal vs Olympiakos)

Napoli vs Kalloni 3-1 ( Adejo scored goal vs Olympiakos)

Lazio move ahead of rivals Roma

SS Lazio's winning streak continued with a 4-0 victory against Empoli FC that lifted them into second spot ahe
 SS Lazio secure an eighth consecutive Serie A victory by beating Empoli FC 4-0.
• Stefano Mauri, Miroslav Klose and Antonio Candreva register first-half strikes.
• Felipe Anderson adds fourth, before Biancocelesti lose Diego Novaretti to a red card.
• The win moves Lazio a point ahead of city rivals AS Roma, who draw 1-1 at Torino FC.
• Alessandro Florenzi's second-half penalty puts Giallorossi ahead before Maxi López levels.ad of city rivals AS Roma, who could only draw 1-1 at Torino FC.
• SSC Napoli secure an important 3-0 victory against ACF Fiorentina.
• The result allows Rafael Benítez's side to hurdle their opponents into fourth spot.
• Strikes from Dries Mertens, Marek Hamšík and José Callejón seal the win.
• AC Milan salvage a 1-1 stalemate at home to UC Sampdoria.
• Nigel De Jong cancels out Roberto Soriano's effort for sixth-placed Sampdoria.
• Atalanta BC ease relegation fears by downing US Sassuolo Calcio 2-1.
• AC Cesena now seven points from safety after a 1-0 loss to AC Chievo Verona.
• US Città di Palermo earn first victory in seven games, winning 3-1 at Udinese Calcio.

SSC Napoli v FC Barcelona: First defeat of preseason (1-0)

Despite posing very little threat in tonight’s friendly in Geneva, Napoli edged it thanks to a Dzemaili strike after 80 minutes

Despite the result, tonight was a great test for Luis Enrique’s side against Napoli in Geneva. Claudio Bravo made his Barça debut against the club that finished third in Serie A last year, and although the Italians took the win thanks to the only goal of the night, the Catalans played strong and confident football despite the absence of some of their biggest stars.

Managed by Rafa Benítez and with familiar faces like Callejón and Albiol in the side, Napoli didn’t disappoint. They got the first chance of the night, 

which Claudio Bravo kept out with a spectacular diving save. Soon after, Andrés Iniesta got FCB’s first decent shot in, but it did little to trouble rival keeper Rafael Cabral. And then came a wonderful through ball from Rakitic to Munir, but the Napoli stopper once again did well.

The Stade de Geneve was by no means packed but there were plenty of Barça and Napoli fans to generate an atmosphere. And although the game was certainly no thriller, the quality of the football was unquestionably good.

Surpassingly for a preseason game, Luis Enrique made no changes at half-time. Pedro came to life with two successive chances, while Rafinha was another of Barça’s most prominent players, active in attack and coming frustratingly close to scoring. With half an hour to go, the FCB manager started making wholesale changes to his eleven, with Edgar Ié, Samper, Sandro, Sergi Robert, Grimaldo and Halilovic all coming on for Piqué, Sergio, Munir, Iniesta, Jordi Alba and Rakitic.

It was practically Barça B out there, but although they were still commanding the possession, the Catalans produced very little serious threat to Rafael Cabral. Bagnack, Adama and Deulofeu were all sent on for the last quarter of an hour, replacing Bartra, Rafinha and Pedro. But it all went wrong in the 80th minute when a long-range strike from Dzemaili slipped through the hands of Claudio Bravo and into the net. Barça did their best to make amends, but there was to be no more score, and it all ended 1-0 to Napoli. The team will now return to Barcelona to prepare for Saturday’s trip to Helsinki.

Sevilla and Wolfsburg stumble, Napoli stroll

Sevilla FC dropped points in their hunt for a top-four spot in Spain and VfL Wolfsburg also drew, while the likes of SSC Napoli and FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk posted big wins.

Sevilla FC may have had one eye on their quarter-final decider with FC Zenit when they could only draw 1-1 with lowly Granada CF on Sunday, the UEFA Europa League holders dropping points like their Russian rivals and fellow last-eight hopefuls VfL Wolfsburg. SSC Napoli and FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk enjoyed commanding wins, meanwhile, and Club Brugge KV caught the eye in Belgium, as UEFA.com recaps.

• Artem Kravets scored twice as FC Dynamo Kyiv won 3-1 at FC Volyn Lutsk to maintain their five-point advantage over FC Shakhtar Donetsk in Ukraine. Vitaliy Buyalskiy added the other goal for Serhiy Rebrov's men, who are undefeated in 20 league games this season.

• ACF Fiorentina are in action on Monday night against Hellas Verona FC, when Vincenzo Montella's charges will be looking for the win they need to climb into fifth spot above UC Sampdoria.
Fiorentina v Dynamo Kyiv: 23 April (first leg: Dynamo 1-1 Fiorentina)

• Club Brugge KV came from behind to defeat rivals RSC Anderlecht 2-1 in the Belgian championship play-offs. Aleksandar Mitrović put the visitors ahead in the first period, but Obbi Oularé and Ruud Vormer scored within the final 16 minutes to leave the Blauw-Zwart second with a game in hand.

• FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk have now gone six games without defeat in the Ukrainian Premier League after a thumping 5-0 win at FC Olimpik Donetsk. Yevhen Seleznyov struck twice for third-placed Dnipro, who lie eight points behind leaders Dynamo Kyiv.
Dnipro v Club Brugge: 23 April (first leg: Club Brugge 0-0 Dnipro)

• Sevilla FC's push for a UEFA Champions League berth stuttered as they drew 1-1 at struggling Granada CF, the home side's Diego Mainz Garcia registering at both ends. Unbeaten in eight Liga games, Sevilla trail fourth-placed Valencia CF by two points.

• Despite being held to a 0-0 draw at FC Kuban Krasnodar, FC Zenit remain eight points clear of closest rivals FC Krasnodar in the Russian Premier League.
Zenit v Sevilla: 23 April (first leg: Sevilla 2-1 Zenit)

• The Bundesliga's second-placed outfit VfL Wolfsburg were unable to pick up a victory on Sunday as they were held 1-1 by FC Schalke 04. Kevin De Bruyne struck 12 minutes from time to rescue the hosts, who slipped 12 points behind pacesetters FC Bayern München.

• SSC Napoli made it back-to-back 3-0 wins in Serie A courtesy of a comfortable victory at Cagliari Calcio. José Callejón and Manolo Gabbiadini found the net either side of an Antonio Balzano own goal, as the fourth-placed Partenopei climbed within five points of AS Roma.
Napoli v Wolfsburg: 23 April (first leg: Wolfsburg 1-4 Napoli)

nguon: uefa

Napoli's Benítez still taking nothing for granted

Despite SSC Napoli earning a 4-1 first-leg cushion in their quarter-final against VfL Wolfsburg, Rafael Benítez said "you never know" what might happen next week.
Birthday boy Rafael Benítez wanted his SSC Napoli players to take all the praise after their 4-1 victory at VfL Wolfsburg in the UEFA Europa League quarter-finals, telling UEFA.com: "Getting older is not always the best thing but I prefer to see my team playing well like today, scoring goals and doing well so I'm really pleased for them."

Even so, with the experience of his 55 years, the Spaniard still believes Wolfsburg have something to play for in next week's second leg in Italy. "We have a lot of respect for Wolfsburg – they're a very good team and in football you never know. You have to concentrate and if we do a good game then we have a great advantage – but we still have to play 90 minutes."

Five lessons from Wolfsburg 1-4 Napoli

VfL Wolfsburg were shown up defensively and for inexperience by an SSC Napoli at the peak of their game as reporter Matthias Rötters analyses the 4-1 away win.
Wolfsburg problems at back
VfL Wolfsburg's attacking qualities are not in doubt: 62 goals in 28 Bundesliga matches (behind only FC Bayern München on 74), 22 goals in 11 UEFA Europa League matches – that's more than OK. However, the 4-1 quarter-final first-leg home defeat by SSC Napoli showed once again that Dieter Hecking has to improve Wolfsburg's defensive play if the side seemingly destined to finish second in the Bundesliga are to be contenders in the UEFA Champions League next season. "We made mistakes today, which we normally don't make," goalkeeper Diego Benaglio said.

The boys in green are too greenWolfsburg have youth on their side but Kevin De Bruyne (23), Kevin Knoche (22), Ricardo Rodriguez (22) and Josuha Guilavogui (24) are lacking in terms of European experience, while the likes of Bas Dost, Naldo, Daniel Caligiuri and Vieirinha have not been playing at the highest level in recent years. This lack of experience shows in matches against 'big teams' with 'big names' from the 'big leagues'; against Everton FC they lost 4-1 and 2-0, and the Napoli defeat was even worse.   

Napoli can win in Germany
"It's a nice birthday present for me and a historically good thing for our club as well," said Napoli coach Rafael Benítez as he turned 55 on the day of the Wolfsburg game. It was Napoli's first UEFA competition win in Germany, and a deserved one. Benítez said: "They created some chances, but we created even more and managed to score from them. I'm really happy with the way my team played. It's good for our confidence as well."

Higuaín and Hamšík are Champions League-standard
Gonzalo Higuaín and Marek Hamšík are one of the most dangerous strike partnerships in Europe. Against Wolfsburg they converted the first two chances in the game, pretty much deciding the tie. The Argentinian is now on seven goals in this season's UEFA Europa League, with the Slovakian on four. Against Wolfsburg, it was obvious that both started the season in the UEFA Champions League (Napoli lost out to Athletic Club in the play-offs) and are still at that level. World champion André Schürrle said: "Those two players made the difference today. If you give them too much space, they will score. That's it." 

Napoli favourites for Warsaw glory
Napoli's success away to the team second in the Bundesliga has surely established them as favourites to triumph in Warsaw next month. "Our journey is not finished yet," said Benítez, no stranger to success in UEFA club competition. His side is defensively very strong, conceding an average of under a goal every two games, and are joint top scorers in the competition. "They were defensively compact and offensively ice-cold today," said Wolfsburg manager Hecking.

nguon: uefa