Catania vs. Napoli: Giornata 37

By: Neil | May 22nd, 2009

This Sunday Napoli travels to the east coast of Sicily to compete against Walter Zenga’s Catania. It’s shaping up to be the most exciting game of the season, not only in Serie A but in all of Europe.

OK, let’s be honest. There’s no real reason to watch this game. The most interesting part might be the beautiful landscapes of the Sicilian coast. Last season around this time of year, under a blazing Mediterranean sun, Napoli played its worst game of the season and got spanked 3-0 by Catania. And that was when Napoli was playing well – in the final months of last season, a promising Napoli side gracefully inched up the table and sneaked into 8th place, earning an Intertoto Cup spot. This season, both the Partenopei and Etnei are going through the motions with no short term purpose. It is, as ESPN’s Derek Rae might comment, the dying embers of the schedule.

I am therefore going to provide no real preview. If you’re looking for an in depth preview, check out whatever news website you frequently visit. Yes, I am even too lazy to post links.

One note surrounding this game is Catania’s interest in Napoli defender Salvatore Aronica. I really like Aronica. He’s an ideal team player, and he works hard whenever called upon. The only thing is he doesn’t really fit in to Napoli’s 3-5-2. He looked a bit shaky playing in a three man backline when he first arrived, and he’s also seen some time at left wingback. But his best position is on the outside left – either defence or midfield – in a 4-4-2. I believe it’s the system he’s most accustomed to. Aronica has really improved as the season has progressed, and it’s a shame the tactics prevent him from showcasing his full set of talents. Since he probably won’t start at left defence for Napoli, I’d like to see him go to a team like Catania where he’d be a better fit.

In other mercato news, Napoli has reportedly turned down a 22m euro bid from Liverpool for Ezequiel Lavezzi. Today PierPaolo Marino has publicly said Lavezzi is not for sale. The Argentine forward could return from injury on Sunday.

The chances of Napoli landing Luca Cigarini are about 75% according to Parma’s d.s. (Check solonapoli.com – I tried posting this link but it wouldn’t work) There was also an alleged offer from Juventus of Cristiano Zanetti plus money for Gargano. I don’t really think Marino is considering that one.

For the summer mercato, it appears that Napoli is going to overhaul the squad. I don’t know where these names are coming from. De Ceglie and Foggia are not even on the market. Borriello is a different story. He’s not officially on the market, but I don’t think he’s essential to Milan’s plans either. Donadoni really likes Borriello, and I can see Napoli making a significant push to acquire him.

As for the players leaving? Denis, Navarro, Pazienza, and Bogliacino are indeed surplus requirements. The only thing is, Marino may have to take a loss to get Denis, Navarro, and Pazienza out the door. Bogliacino’s a different story. He’s been with the club longer, and Napoli didn’t shell out loads of money for him.

I think the idea of having an Italian core is something that can get discussed. Napoli has nine South Americans – four Argentines, four Uruguayans, and one Brazilian. The rest of the team is Italian, except for the Slovak Hamsik. With 16 Italians and 10 foreigners, isn’t the core already Italian? Two thirds of our regular keepers are Italian, our six defender are all Italian, and seven of our midfielders are Italian. The foreigners comprise one keeper, five midfielders, and four fowards. I think the issue isn’t the number of Italians we have, but the number of good Italians. Only two of our players, Maggio and Santacroce, received Italy call-ups this year. Maggio might not get called up again, and Santacroce can be considered a squad regular looking to break into the starting eleven.

Ten foreigners is not a lot, but with eight of them Argentinian or Uruguayan it can create some problems. First, the minority group is big enough to enjoy a bit of power. If there were only four or five South Americans, the group would be too small, even if all of them were key players. Second, if a small number of South Americans don’t perform as expected, it’s very easy to scapegoat the entire group. So the group is big enough to be pretty important, but small enough that it will have to fight for power. It’s a combo that has led to some division and conflict over the last couple of seasons.

If we want an Italian core, we need to bring in established Italians who have already matured. Loading up on young Italian prospects is taking a risk because their careers might not take off. Vitale is a perfect example. He showed a lot of promise early on, but spent most of the season on the bench. I’m hoping he’ll be given more chances, but once his early season form wore off he didn’t exactly earn himself loads of playing time.

That’s how I see the team’s identity. Nationality is an issue, but simply decreasing the number of South Americans and increasing the number Italians is not a solution. We need to get rid of problem players and replace them with quality ones. Comparing Zalayeta and Santacroce is a perfect example. Zalayeta has not performed well enough to justify discipline problems. On the other hand, Santacroce has enough talent that you have to put up with occasional lapses in discipline. Zalayeta goes, Santacroce stays. Lavezzi, not an Italian, has performed well enough that you have to put up with his partying. Talent reigns supreme.