Other than anti-Juve. Napoli collapses badly in Genoa and prepares for two rather difficult weeks, in which the real consistency of a team that is very far from the standards of the recent past will be discussed. It is inevitable then to throw an eye towards London, where Sarri is convincing the Chelsea fans with a sparkling game and results even higher than expected: Ancelotti doesn't have to prove anything, God forbid, but it's no mystery that the blue people are still in love with his predecessor, especially after his disagreements with De Laurentiis.
Let's be clear: a defeat, however heavy, shouldn't demolish the whole castle, but underestimating it would be a serious mistake also because the alarm bells had already been turned on after the victories against Lazio and Milan. There the Azzurri had managed to disguise them with proud comebacks, but yesterday, thanks to the super evening of Sampdoria and some of its players, things went differently.
But beyond the results there is a common thread that unites the three matches played so far by Napoli, starting with the defensive phase, which to define as reviewable would even be generous. Six goals conceded by Ancelotti between Lazio, Milan and Sampdoria, a huge amount for those who say they want to aim for the Scudetto. The other alarming fact is that they have always gone behind, and if the comeback was successful in the first two days yesterday, that wasn't the case.
In short, the Azzurri, rather than growing, are regressing and will have to roll up their sleeves quickly, especially since after the break the Champions League and that terrible group with PSG, Liverpool and Red Star will also begin. “We had the same start to the match as against Lazio and Milan – commented Ancelotti – There we managed to overturn, this time not. We gave away the first half with a bad attitude, in the second the team fought, not in the first. You need intensity and struggle, otherwise it becomes tough”.
Strong concepts are those expressed by the blue coach, demonstrating how he too has realized that this is not the case. Having fully embraced the ADL line (turnover and maximum exploitation of the squad, resulting in a minimum market) is a risk that he didn't pay for yesterday. The initial choices (out of Hamsik, Callejon and Mertens) and the subsequent changes (above all the entry of Ounas for Insigne) only produced damage and Sampdoria, which in Marassi confirmed itself as a very different thing from the lackluster away version, immediately took possession of the match.
And then, as often happens on evenings like this, everything really went great for Giampaolo and his forwards. Defrel's brace in the first half (a splendid shot from distance in the 11th minute and a close tap-in in the 32nd minute) and, above all, a wonderful flying back-heel from Quagliarella in the 75th minute literally destroyed Napoli, forced to abandon any comeback and to deal with the heavy 3-0 final.
It will therefore be a pause for controversy in the blue house, with Ancelotti who will have to hit the right keys to wake up his team and prepare them in the best possible way for the upcoming fiery September. Because otherwise you risk really big trouble…
