Bentornati to TACTICS IMPERIVM by myself, Gianluca Lia.
OBVIOUSLY, we had to analyse Napoli vs Inter, the big game between the teams racing for this year’s Scudetto… alongside Atalanta, right?
Let’s head straight into action…
In the highly anticipated clash between Napoli and Inter, tactical nuances and strategic decisions shaped the outcome of the game, culminating in a 1-1 draw.
A key feature of this match was that Napoli showcased improved physical fitness, evident from their energetic performance compared to recent matches.
On the other hand, a surprising statistic is that Inter had 0xG in the second half.
By xG, we refer to the metric designed to measure the probability of a shot resulting in a goal.
An xG model uses historical information from thousands of shots with similar characteristics to estimate the likelihood of a goal on a scale between 0 and 1.
This means that Inter did not even have a single shot on goal.
At the other end of the field, Napoli’s xG was 1.27, thanks to their 12 total shots which included 2 big changes.
Managerial decisions were pivotal. Napoli opted for Billy Gilmour alongside Stanislav Lobotka, altering their midfield dynamics.
Gilmour's role, intended to disrupt Inter's build-up, faced challenges as Bastoni occasionally bypassed him, exploiting gaps in Napoli's defensive structure.
Napoli’s high-press meant that Giacomo Raspoadori was pressing Yann Bisseck and Romelu Lukaku putting Francesco Acerbi under pressure, with Giovanni Di Lorenzo pushing high as well.
With Di Lorenzo pushing high and Bastoni able to bypass Gilmour’s press, also because a mezz’ala (an inside midfielder in a 3-man midfield) usually has to cover a lot of metres to track a central defender, was not always on point, Inter had a 37% usage of the left flank, their highest in the first half.
Meanwhile, Napoli's build-up strategy leaned heavily on the right flank, with Spinazzola, on the left, assuming a more defensive role against Inter's advances down the right, particularly utilizing Dumfries.
Raspadori had limited involvement in the first half, registering only 39 touches, as Napoli focused their play more on the left side.
In contrast, Matteo Politano was significantly more active, accounting for 52% of the touches.
This emphasis on the right flank was evident, with Napoli directing 49% of their attacks down that side.
Inter opted to start with a 3-5-2 formation, contrary to pre-match speculation about a possible switch to a 4-4-2 setup, featuring Marcus Thuram alongside Lautaro Martinez in attack.
During pressing situations against Napoli's build-up, Çalhanoğlu was assigned to mark their number 8.
Both teams made no changes at half-time, with Napoli maintaining the same level of pressure and engaging in 1v1 duels across the pitch.
Inter were forced to substitute Dimarco due to injury, with Dumfries remaining in his position and Bastoni initially filling in. However, this caused a moment of confusion, as Bastoni shifted to the left side and Henrikh dropped back to mark Politano.
At this stage, Inter shifted to a 4-4-2 formation, similar to what they used against Lazio in the Coppa Italia.
Compared to the 3-5-2, the 4-4-2 offers better coverage across the pitch, with two pairs of wide players providing balance on each flank.
This setup also allows the full-backs to push forward more aggressively.
However, Inter's main drawback in this formation was the lack of effective dribblers. In a 4-4-2, wingers are typically expected to excel in beating opponents one-on-one, a quality that Inter's wide players struggled to provide.
The introduction of Billing added more physical presence to Napoli's midfield. His ability to make effective runs into the half-spaces played a key role, particularly in the build-up to Napoli's equaliser.
Inter began to lose intensity and attacking threat following Dimarco's substitution.
The situation worsened when Bastoni was taken off in the 80th minute.
Notably, Inter have now conceded 10 goals in the final quarter-hour of matches this season - five of them without Bastoni on the pitch. This is a significant regression compared to last season when they allowed just three goals in the same period. These numbers underline Bastoni's importance in maintaining defensive balance and possession control.
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