Alla Scala del Calcio

By: Neil | November 29th, 2008

What: Inter vs. Napoli
Where: Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, Milano
When: Sunday, November 30 15:00 CET, 9:00 ET, 6:00 PT
TV: Live on Fox Soccer Channel, or an Internet stream
Napoli make their third trip to Lombardia in November, having lost 1-0 to Milan at the beginning of the month and 3-1 to Atalanta two weeks ago. The Vesuviani currently sit in fourth place, six points behind leaders Inter and three points behind Milan and Juve who are tied for second. Napoli has a complete roster of players to choose from with no injuries or suspensions.

Inter is coming off a surprise 1-0 home loss to Panathanaikos in the Champions League. For info on the Nerazzurri, please visit the Inter offside page. In his pre-match interview, Jose Mourinho spoke very highly of Napoli, including very favourable comments about our tactician Edoardo Reja. In Reja’s interview he singled out Ibra and reminded everyone of Napoli’s fighting spirit.

The situation is as follows: I don’t really care who Inter is missing. I don’t care who is suspended, injured, rested, dropped, or otherwise unavailable. Their roster is stocked with enough talent to field two competitive teams. In Mourinho they have a manager who will make sure that anyone who plays is hungry and knows how to play their assigned position. Given the way the season has unfolded so far, I don’t think anyone will finish ahead of Inter in Serie A, and I’m not alone in that opinion. It’s common knowledge that Inter will likely put the Champions League ahead of Serie A in the priority list, but they may have an easier time winning Serie A simply because there are no elimination games or two legged affairs. In Mourinho’s three complete years at Chelsea his inability to win the Champions League was a big factor in his fallout with Abramovich. But if you look at Mourinho’s results his teams were always close to winning the big prize. In 2005 and 2006 they were eliminated by a single goal to eventual champions Liverpool and Barcelona, and in 2007 they were eliminated in a shootout to Liverpool. The point is that no matter how much a team prioritizes the Champions League, they have to go through a series of close ties against the best of Europe. The competition is so fierce you can do nothing wrong and still find yourself knocked out. Therefore it’s more likely that Inter will retain their Scudetto, and either come close to winning the Champions League or with a slice of luck actually win it. Bottom line: Inter is one of the top three teams in Europe along with Chelsea and Man United. I wouldn’t have written that statement if they still had Mancini.

What kind of performance should we expect from Napoli? I have no doubt that the squad will be at its best. In an interview Walter Gargano lists commitment and humility as two of Napoli’s best qualities, and even when the team has struggled this season those qualities have been present. Former Napoli player Salvatore Bagni believes the team must attack Inter, and I agree with him. It’s always dangerous to sit back and let a superior team come at you repeatedly, especially since Napoli plays three at the back.

Napoli probable lineup: Iezzo – Santacroce, Cannavaro, Contini – Maggio, Blasi, Gargano, Hamsik, Mannini – Denis, Lavezzi

Regardless of what happens, this promises to be an entertaining game between two of Italy’s best teams.

Key questions for Napoli: Can Napoli take the game to Inter, or will they rely on counter attacks? Is sitting back for most of the game a good idea?

Key questions for Inter: Can they make Lavezzi a non factor? If they fall behind will they start to implode?

Enjoy the show, and come back after the match for the usual report and analysis.