Safe Hands

By: Neil | October 22nd, 2008

It’s no coincidence that Napoli’s two defeats this season – 2-0 to Benfica and 3-2 to Genoa – have come without our starting goalkeeper Gennaro Iezzo. While backup Gianello usually performs reasonably well in Iezzo’s absence, he does not have the talismanic effect that San Gennaro seems to have on the team.
How did it take Iezzo so long to reach his prime? And why does he get less respect than other Serie A goalies who aren’t any better?

Portiere is the one position where experience is priceless and age not as much of a liability. At 35, Iezzo is enjoying the best spell of his career. When the Castellamare di Stabia native joined Napoli back in 2006, his biggest club had been Cagliari, which had only won promotion to Serie A in 2004. He made 25 appearances over three years for the Sardinians, and jumped at the chance to be starting goalie for his hometown club in Serie B.

Iezzo immediately established his presence as Napoli conceded the fewest goals in Serie B – one fewer than Juventus. His great play could be due to a couple of factors – experience, playing on the big stage of the San Paolo, and a new found confidence. Some players need a high pressure environment to be motivated, and Iezzo seems to be one of those players.

Last season Iezzo struggled at times and missed much of the season with an injury. It was speculated he had lost his starter’s position to either backup Matteo Gianello, who put in a number of strong performances, or young prospect Nicolas Navarro. But Iezzo fought off both challengers and retained the number one spot.

To be honest, I haven’t seen much of Navarro, and when he has played I haven’t seen anything special. He’s young and athletic, which is always good, but seems a little overwhelmed at times. Maybe he’s better off getting regular experience at a smaller club, which is the path Iezzo took at clubs like Nocerina, Verona, and Catania before stepping up. Navarro will probably be loaned out in January, maybe to a club in his native Argentina. I don’t think he was ever comfortable with the idea of coming to Napoli to be the third choice goalie.

Gianello is also younger and a little more athletic than Iezzo, but San Gennaro has a number of qualities that make him a better goalie: leadership, positioning, reliability, and the ability to read the game. If Iezzo stays healthy and keeps his fitness up over the next few years, look for him to continue his great play. In terms of his style, Iezzo reminds me of former Arsenal and England goalie David Seaman. Obviously Seaman was in a different class, but his nickname “Safe Hands” could also be applied to Napoli’s current number one.

Finally, one very important matter to watch out for: Daniele Mannini has a hearing tomorrow with the World Anti-Doping Agency about his lateness for a doping test while he was with Bresica last season. He has already served a 15 day suspension at Napoli, but WADA might hit him with another even longer ban:

http://www.goal.com/en/Articolo.aspx?ContenutoId=925358

This week I’ve been a little busier than expected, but I’ll hopefully get a brief preview out for Napoli’s game against Lazio. The Roman club is coming off a surprise loss to Bologna, and will approach Napoli as a benchmark game to see whether their hot start is a sign of a promising season.