Napoli-Parma (or let’s get that taste out of our mouths, shall we?)

38

That is the number of matches in Serie A. On paper and during the pre-season, it sure sounds like an eternity. Plenty of time to turn things around and work through the slumps, right? I mean if you hit a rough patch, there’s always a game next week to reverse your fortunes and right the ship.

The fact is I’ve been pretty pessimistic as of late as I think the last time this side has played well were the two weeks when we drew Roma at the Stadio Olimpico and beat Juventus at home. The performances since that point have been uneven and last week was the worst I’ve seen this squad play in four years. Yes, yes, yes…I’m fully aware that four years ago we were playing the likes of Foggia and Cittadella. My point is, no matter the competition, we’ve always maintained our composure and showed tremendous determination. I saw none of that last week. I saw a confused and battered side get their heads handed to them.

Coach Edy Reja has to turn this around quickly as our next three matches heading into the break are all winnable games (Parma-home, Siena-road, Torino-home). The matches won’t be easy and no one will likely roll over. However, the difference between a good season and a
season-long relegation battle may well rest on the how well this side plays before the Christmas break.

Reja is likely to mix up his dreadful, way-too-defensive, unimaginative, preferred 3-5-2 formation in favor of a 3-4-3 or a 3-4-1-2. And with Maurizio Domizzi suspended for the match there will be changes with the lineup as well. Marek Hamsik has not played up to his standards for the past few weeks and there are reports he may sit Hamsik in favor of Mariano Bogliacino for this match. Worse yet, if the reports are true, Hamsik may have his head in the clouds because of all the transfer speculation that has surrounded this 20-year old Slovakian. He’s been linked to Juventus, Manchester United and probably more clubs I can’t freaking stand. Pier Paolo Marino has repeatedly told clubs he’s not interested in selling off Hamsik but he may be unsettled at this point. He’s 20 and he has tattoos on his neck. He’s unsettled.

The club is saying all the things you’d expect them to say after an ass-whipping. Manuele Blasi and Andrea Cupi have both urged the club to forget the loss and move forward. Cupi said if it were up to him they would have played against Parma the very next day and he says the squad haven’t lost their faith. Blasi and Cupi are two of the most seasoned veterans on the
club and you’d expect them to rally the troops. For the past four years under De Laurentis, Napoli have been a fighting, cohesive unit. They’ve responded well under pressure. Whether that pressure came in the form of having players sent off and having to battle back or matching up against superior opponents and pulling out the result. This Sunday will mark another challenge for Napoli. This one may be as much about how they conduct themselves as how they handle Parma.

Domenico Di Carlo took over this season after the “Tinkerman” Claudio Ranieri saved the Ducali from relegation and left for Juventus. Di Carlo has the squad playing much better as of late and they are five points clear from the relegation zone. Their form on the road, however, has
been abysmal. A fact Napoli should exploit and look to take all three points from Sunday night’s match. Parma have only scored three goals in six road matches and having Azzurrini starlet MF Luca Cigarini suspended won’t help Parma’s chances of seizing control of the midfield. It’ll be up to Bernardo Corradi to provide the firepower for Parma and, don’t laugh, he’s played very
well this year. For those of us who’ve seen his act in an Azzurri shirt or at Manchester City, it appears aliens have abducted Mr. Corradi and replaced him with a talented footballer.

Napoli have to tighten their defense and not rely solely on Lavezzi to shoulder the load. Look for Bogliacino to play his breakout match on Sunday and give the MF some width to expose Parma’s backline. The defense has to play with more cohesion and given that they’ll be motivated to erase the Bergamo disaster and playing in front of a vocal home crowd, Napoli
should put forth a more spirited effort. Gianluca Rocchi is the referee for the match. He’s presided over four Napoli matches (2-2-0). You’re not going to find that type of research just anywhere folks.

Forza Napoli!

Statistics:

For the Parma perspective, check out Francesco’s blog entry.

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