UDINE. It could have been the first place match, it turned into a horror movie night for Udinese, while Napoli, popcorn and Coke in hand, enjoyed its colossal, as its president Aurelio De Laurentiis would say, a re-edition of “Escape to the victory”, given that he is now at the top alone after the fourth day, with full points, with Inter and Milan two points below.
The keystone of what was a big match on paper must be identified there. where the wait on the eve had arranged it, on the right wing of Udinese, where the duel of two worlds between the European champion Lorenzo Insigne and the winner of the America’s Cup with Argentina, Nahuel Molina, took place. He swept the blue by covering his entire band, despite that hybrid position, as a left-wing attacking midfielder, which would theoretically allow him not to worry about the enemy’s raids, or at least, all the raids, which he does wisely, arriving at also close his bottom line when Mario Rui finds himself squeezed between two enemies.
Molina managed to put him in difficulty only once, in tandem with Arslan, only to be ignored by the Turkish who preferred an imaginative opening for Stryger Larsen, which did not go well.
The Argentine’s Achilles heel, as his coach Lionel Scaloni also understood, is the defensive phase, the lack of ability to understand when to “shoot” and when it is appropriate to garrison your area. Yesterday he went to class at Insigne’s for 71 minutes, taking the rest of the Juventus troops with him to school, hypnotized by the movement of Napoli with an Elmas that Luciano Spalletti – also yesterday caught by the public of Friuli for his escape to Rome after the Champions League ride in black and white, it was 2005 – he used to dismantle Gotti’s tactical plan, in a central position, from one trocar to the other.
In short, Udinese suffered madly on the right, from where the first goal was born, struggled to cover the area close to the area, where referee Manganiello whistled the (disputed) punishment from which the doubling of Koulibaly. In the second half, Politano made Insigne on the other side of the field and Udinese went down by another goal.
At that point the Contarina technician started the whirlwind of changes. Out first Deulofeu and Pereyra, then Larsen, Arslan and lastly Molina, just one amen from 4-0. Just think of the next match that will bring the Bianconeri to Rome on Thursday evening, against Mourinho’s team, who have just returned from a burning knockout in Verona. Right to preserve the key points of a team that yesterday made it clear, on the whole, that the mistakes you make with the opponents of little lineage, with the so-called big ones, pay into account and then shut up.
It is said that playing right after a beating is healthy. But watch out for Roma and in quick succession also Fiorentina in Friuli on Sunday. Better to start making ants again. With wisdom.
UDINESE – NAPLES 0 – 4
UDINESE (3-5-1-1) New Year’s Eve 5.5; Becao 5, Nuytinck 5, Samir 5.5; Molina 4.5 (40 ‘st Soppy sv), Arslan 5.5 (27’ st Samardzic sv), Walace 5, Pereyra 5.5 (19 ‘st Makengo 5.5), Stryger Larsen 5 (27’ st Zeegelaar sv); Deulofeu 5 (19’st Beto 5.5); Pussetto 5.5. All. Gotti.
NAPLES (4-2-3-1) Ospina 6; Di Lorenzo 6, Rrahmani 7, Koulibaly 7.5, Mario Rui 6 (41’st Zanoli sv); Fabian Ruiz 6.5 (36 ‘st Ounas sv), Anguissa 7; Politano 6 (26 ‘st Lozano 7), Elmas 6, Insigne 7 (26’ st Zielinski 6); Osimhen 7 (36’st Petagna sv). Herds Spalletti.
Referee Manganiello di Pinerolo 5.5.
Markers At 24 ‘Osimhen, at 35’ Rrahmani; in the second half at 7 ‘Koulibaly, at 39’ Lozano.