Napoli’s 3-5-2 vs. AC Milan

By: Neil | March 22nd, 2009

When I read that Donadoni is likely to start with a 3-5-2 against Milan I was reminded of the saying, “The more things change the more they stay the same.” After his first full week of training, Don has apparently decided on the same system that Reja used for four years before ditching it in a last gasp effort to save his job. The most common complaint about Reja was that he was tactically naive. Almost nobody in Europe uses the 3-5-2, certainly not any of the successful clubs like Man United, Barcelona, Inter, or Liverpool. Now Don is keeping faith with the system in which Napoli gained all their important victories over the last two years.

To be fair, I have no idea how long Don is going to stick with the 3-5-2. As mentioned in my previous post there are a significant amount of unavailable players, which means his options are very limited. In fact, when you consider that three defenders – Aronica, Rinaudo, and Vitale – are all absent it almost forces him into sticking with three at the back. But the most intriguing part is that tomorrow’s starting lineup will be almost identical to what Reja would have chosen:

Napoli probable lineup: Navarro – Santacroce, Cannavaro, Contini – Montervino, Pazienza, Blasi, Hamsik, Datolo – Zalayeta, Lavezzi

Milan also have their injury problems. Just off the top of my head, Gattuso is still out, Abbiati is injured, Ambrosini is suspended, and Kaka is not 100%. Although Milan will be hurt by the loss of three of their character players, there’s still plenty of talent to choose from. Head over to Gianfranco’s Milan offside to get the latest on the Milan lineup and preparation.

There’s also some recent history between the two teams. Last season Milan arrived at the San Paolo looking to keep their hold on 4th place and the last Champions League spot. Napoli played a near perfect match in defeating Milan 3-1 and relegating the Lombardia club to the UEFA Cup. Earlier this season the two teams played a memorable game in Milan with a late Denis own goal giving Milan the three points. Napoli played a really big game after Maggio was sent off late in the first half, and after Iezzo saved a Kaka penalty it seemed like the game was destined for a scoreless draw. Here are the highlights from last November’s encounter:

Napoli will have the support of around 60 000 people inside the San Paolo but still face a difficult match. If you break it down position by position Milan simply have better players. It’s a little bit intimidating when you can leave Ronaldinho on the bench to start the game.

What Napoli needs to do to win:

1) Navarro needs to outplay Dida. Iezzo was sensational in the first meeting this season and we need a repeat performance from Navarro. He’s facing a better and more experience keeper in Dida. The best hope is that Dida makes one of his trademark blunders, but this is asking for a lot of luck.

2) Napoli has to control the buildup play in the midfield. Inzaghi is a great goal poacher but he thrives off of work done by the rest of the team. If Napoli can cut off his supply then Inzaghi will struggle. Pato on the other hand is more dangerous in one vs. one situations. He needs to be watched and given very little space.

3) Lavezzi and Zalayeta need to be on their games. If our attacking duo is chasing the ball all night it could be a long game. They’ll need to conserve energy going forward because they need to defend against Milan’s back four settling on the ball and starting breakouts.

In general, Napoli has to play like without any fear. If you give Milan too much respect they will have an easy night.

This game is the posticipo and will be live at 20:30 CET, 3:30 Eastern and 12:30 Pacific. TV coverage should be very easy to find. If you don’t have a dish and can’t make it out, there should also be plenty of live internet streams. Try www.rojadirecta.org and www.atdhe.net

Check back tomorrow for a report and commentary. Forza Napoli!