Our regular Serie A expert gives his first person account of being pitchside for Milan’s 4-0 triumph at Napoli and we take a look at the first leg of the Coppa Italia semi-final between Juventus and Inter.
By Matteo Bonetti, US Serie A expert
Napoli 0-4 Milan
As a commentator and analyst for Serie A with CBS in the United States, it’s a rare treat to be able to travel to Italy and cover matches from the ground. With Napoli vs. Milan slated to play three important games in the space of 16 days, we were sent to the south of Italy to cover the Serie A edition of a game that turned out to have the most unexpected twist. The day before the game, we were able to meet with Napoli manager Luciano Spalletti in his office to discuss the biggest topics from his team’s season. I asked him if he knew straight away that Kvicha Kvaratskhelia was going to be special, and he said that not only could you see the talent at first glance, but his mentality was instantly evident too.
Moving on to the actual game – Milan’s 4-0 drubbing of the Partenopei was a reminder that the reigning Scudetto champions still have glimpses of the magic they displayed for the entirety of last season. The former league MVP also rolled back the months after an inconsistent 2022/23 campaign – Rafael Leão had his best game of the season, scoring a terrific brace and looking like the unplayable one-on-one force that made him such a star last season.
Napoli on the other hand were unrecognisable. It seemed like they finally let their foot off the gas with their massive 16 point lead at the top of the table. The two defenders Amir Rrahmani and Kim Min-Jae were disastrous, beaten easily by Milan’s flair players. Napoli’s midfield, normally a source of possession and dominance, were completely outclassed by Milan. It was Sandro Tonali that took over that part of the pitch and was a decisive box-to-box presence with his interceptions, physicality and ball playing. Milan’s manager Stefano Pioli opted to play three central midfielders, with Ismael Bennacer a bit further forward as a no.10, the Algerian’s forward role was actually employed for defensive purposes, as it meant he’d be plastered all over Napoli’s deep-lying playmaker Stanislav Lobotka. With Lobotka smothered for much of the game, it meant Napoli’s defenders suddenly didn’t have their usual outlet in the middle and were forced to pass the ball out wide where the possession seemed to die off for the hosts.
Napoli have given themselves the luxury of being able to afford these losses in Serie A. Their hefty lead means the Scudetto hopes aren’t at all fazed by a result like this. What’s potentially worrying though, are the psychological aspects of such a shocking loss at home. How will this mostly young group of players bounce back in the biggest game of their lives next week after having endured that type of basing? Napoli now play a full strength Milan squad in the Champions League quarterfinals.
While they didn’t have their star striker and leading Serie A goal scorer Victor Osimhen available for the Milan match in Serie A, he should be fit enough to be involved in the European battles. Osimhen fundamentally changes the way a defence has to play Napoli – he’s devastating on the counter and if you play a low block he’s then going to show off his lethal heading ability. While Napoli hadn’t lost any of their seven matches this season without Osimhen prior to the game over the weekend, they just don’t pose the same threat with Gio Simeone leading the line. However, Napoli manager Luciano Spalletti made sure to reiterate in the days leading up to the Milan match that his club was not Osimhen-dependent, that you need an entire unit to be able to play the way they have this season.
For Milan, it’ll be interesting to see what Stefano Pioli does from a formation standpoint. He was forced to go back to a 4-2-3-1 in the Napoli game and abandon his new 3-5-2 after an injury to centre-back Pierre Kalulu. It would be shocking if Pioli decided to change back to the more conservative shape after his team put four past the best team in Serie A. The good news for Milan fans is that Pioli has shown the ability to adapt with his side and change tactics throughout the course of the season when required.
Inter’s deficiencies on show despite draw
The first leg of the Derby D’Italia edition of the Coppa Italia semi-finall ended 1-1 between Juventus and Inter on Tuesday. It was a game that once again highlighted some of the recent deficiencies of Inter’s play under manager Simone Inzaghi.
The Nerazzurri attack has been a nightmare recently. In their last five matches, Inter have scored no goals from open play. Their only two goals have come from Romelu Lukaku penalties. Only a few days after losing 1-0 to Fiorentina in the league (in a game where a Romelu Lukaku miss from point blank range made the news worldwide via every troll account), Inter continued their poor form up top, as Lautaro Martínez was voted the worst player in the match against Juve. Lautaro has only scored once in his last eight games, a record that has become the norm for the streaky Inter striker who can score a goal-a-game for a few months and then go on these long-term dry patches. Lautaro’s form wouldn’t be as much of an issue if the other important players were stepping up, but they haven’t been. Lukaku is a shadow of his former self and won’t be playing in Serie A for much longer when he goes back to Chelsea this summer.
The issue with Inzaghi’s team is that he’s unwilling to change anything. The manager has stubbornly stuck with his 3-5-2 and hasn’t shown any interest is trying some new things from a tactical standpoint in an effort to light a fire under the team. The team really lacks a creative dribbler to break down an opponent that defends deep, so often times the solution is to spam crosses into the box or try shots from distance rather than quicker, intricate play in-between the lines.
Anyway, Inter were partially saved by a Bremer handball in the dying minutes which gave Inter the chance to equalise, and chaos ensued shortly after Lukaku scored his penalty. Lukaku went to silence the Juventus supporters and was red carded for “excessive celebration”, prompting a melee between him and Juan Cuadrado. The fight reportedly spilled into the tunnel after the final whistle with other players involved from both sides.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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