Lazio parked the bus to frustrate Napoli, who go into their crucial match against Manchester City having not won for a month
The dress rehearsal for Napoli's biggest night of European football in more than two decades went off without a hitch ? and also without a goal. Three nights before their make or break Champions League fixture against Manchester City at San Paolo, the Partenopei were visited by a Lazio team doing a perfect impersonation of Roberto Mancini's side. Just not this year's vintage.
With last year's preposterous 4-3 defeat at this stadium fresh in his mind, Lazio's manager Edy Reja arrived determined to park the bus, even if the vehicle in question was short an engine ? Stefano Mauri ? and had large Andr� Dias and Giuseppe Biava-shaped holes in the side. A team that were also missing their leading goalscorer Miroslav Klose succeeded in stifling Napoli for most of the first hour, but were ultimately grateful to both their goalkeeper Federico Marchetti and an incorrect offside call for preserving the point they had come for.
A very important one it could prove too, in the race for a spot in next season's Champions League, with Lazio now level with Juventus at the top and seven points clear of Napoli ? though both teams retain a game in hand after their own head-to-head was postponed. But at this precise moment Serie A seems about as pertinent to the people of Naples as swimwear to those of Yakutsk. The following morning, the Neapolitan edition of Corriere dello Sport almost ignored the result altogether, looking ahead to the City game with a front-page headline stating: "Napoli is ready".
That may appear an optimistic assessment of a team who haven't won a game since 26 October, having lost away to Catania and Bayern Munich before this weekend's draw, and who realistically may need a win on Tuesday night to progress. The Napoli manager Walter Mazzarri argued that his team deserved to have beaten Lazio 4-0, but that was wide of the mark. Although his team had the better chances, they hardly overwhelmed their opponents.
The reality is that Napoli have failed so far this season to recapture the scintillating form that led them to a title challenge last term. While the capacity for devastating counterattacking football remains, it has been seen only in patches ? most notably during the first meeting with City. A squad that were perhaps not quite ready for the dual demands of league and Champions League campaigns have too often looked fatigued, while Mazzarri's attempts to rotate the team before big European games have invariably backfired.
Most importantly, though, key performers have lacked their customary sharpness. Edinson Cavani suffered a punctured tyre on his way home from dinner after the draw against Lazio, but it is his flat performances on the pitch that have been of greater concern. The man after whom a city has now named not only a calzone, but also a coffee and a brand of liqueur, has still managed a respectable four goals from nine league games ? but at the corresponding point last season he had eight.
Similarly, Ezequiel Lavezzi and Marek Hamsik have not quite hit the heights they are capable of, even if the former did score his first goal at home in over a year against Udinese last month. It is also true that they are victims in part of their own success. As opponents have become more aware of Napoli's counterattacking prowess, they have tended to sit back more and challenge Mazzarri's side to break them down ? something this team have struggled to do.
But the one thing Napoli can be assured of on Tuesday night is raucous backing. A fanbase who made themselves heard loud and clear as a minority at Eastlands have been waiting for matches like this since the days of Diego Maradona. Queues lasting several hours have been a common sight at ticket kiosks across the city in recent days and the club is expecting its highest ever gate receipts from this match.
A team that are not short of local support can count on one new fan, too ? a 24-year-old by the name of Marco Manzo, who acquired local fame this year when he allowed Aurelio De Laurentiis to hitch a ride on the back of his scooter as the Napoli owner stormed out of the league's fixture list meeting in a rage. Manzo, who professed to not really following football, had no idea who De Laurentiis was at the time but certainly does now after being gifted a new, Napoli-branded, Aprilia scooter by way of a thank you.
Having begun the day in jovial spirits, however, De Laurentiis departed San Paolo on Saturday night in silence. Just as Manzo rescued him that evening, it was the film mogul who came to Napoli's aid seven years ago ? throwing his own money into the club at a time when it was bankrupt and had been abandoned even by many of its supporters. For him there could be no greater reward than this year's run in the Champions League. But against a team as good as City, he knows that they too are running the risk of a puncture.
Talking points
? Napoli weren't the only ones preparing for a big European night, nor were they the only team doing so that had to settle for a goalless draw after an incorrect offside call. Clarence Seedorf had an early strike wrongly chalked off for Milan at Fiorentina (enjoying their first game under new manager Delio Rossi), and the Rossoneri ought perhaps to have had a penalty when Pato appeared to be fouled by Matija Nastasic late on. Massimiliano Allegri's team still would have won were it not for some exceptional saves by Artur Boruc. The manager will be delighted to have Pato back ahead of the game against Barcelona ? though his presence does create a dilemma. The Brazilian scored last time against the Spanish champions, but if he starts who comes out? Allegri's teams have rarely looked their best when he, Robinho and Zlatan Ibrahimovic are all deployed together.
? On the subject of disallowed goals it is only fair to point out that Napoli cannot feel too hard done by this weekend. After all, the last time they faced Lazio, this wasn't given.
? While rivals had goals wrongly taken away, Inter had one incorrectly awarded ? Thiago Motta opening the scoring from an offside position in what turned out to be a 2-1 win over Cagliari. But it was Inter's other goalscorer ? Coutinho ? generating all the buzz. The Brazilian had been due to start on the bench but stepped in when Wesley Sneijder suffered a thigh strain during the warm-ups. With the Dutchman out for two or three weeks there was much excited talk in the papers about how now is the time for the Brazilian to fulfil his potential. Maybe so, but patience will be required ? for a player so inexperienced it cannot have been easy adjusting to four different coaches (and about 400 different tactical schemes) in the space of 16 months in a new country.
? Juventus continued their unbeaten start to the season by routing Palermo, and already they have the look of frontrunners. The manner in which they continued to pour forward even after the third goal was impressive ? a mark of the more confident and aggressive mindset that Antonio Conte has instilled. However the disparity between Palermo's performances is getting ludicrous. At home they have played five, won five, scored 14. Away they have played six, won none and scored none.
? So modest was Germ�n Denis's scoring record over the past few years that many people thought Atalanta would never have to pay out on the bonus they promised him if he reached 10 goals this season. After another brace at the weekend, he already has nine.
? At last, Cesena won a game. About time.
Results: Inter 2-1 Cagliari, Fiorentina 0-0 Milan, Napoli 0-0 Lazio, Bologna 0-1 Cesena, Catania 1-2 Chievo, Genoa 1-0 Novara, Juventus 3-0 Palermo, Parma 2-0 Udinese, Siena 2-2 Atalanta, Roma 2-1 Lecce.
Watch Serie A video highlights
Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2011/nov/21/napoli-manchester-city
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