It was a battle between two sides enjoying a prosperous revolution under new management as A.S. Roma hosted S.S.C. Napoli at the Stadio Olimpico.
Rudi Garcia’s charges are enjoying the best start to a Serie A campaign in the history of the capitol club with seven wins from their seven outings so far this season. Roma are also proudly sitting atop both the attacking and defensive charts with 20 goals scored and just the one goal conceded.
Undefeated Napoli, on the other hand, are progressing well under the meticulous eye of Rafa Benitez who has guided his team to six wins in seven games this season, including an away triumph against A.C. Milan. The only disappointing result for the San Paolo side came in a home draw to lowly Sassuolo
Despite both managers playing down the immediate impact of the score line, the battle at the Olimpico would still reveal a lot in terms of how the title race would shapeup for the remainder of the season.
Tactical Setup:
A.S. Roma:
Rudi Garcia deploys a very fluid 4-3-3 system reliant on dominating possession and building the attack patiently with short intricate passes.
Roma’s fullbacks are crucial to the success of their tactics as they take-on very advanced positions on both flanks as soon as Garcia’s men hold possession. The overlap allows the wingers to cut inside and add more numbers for the rival defenses to contend with. Roma’s forward ranks are reinforced further due to the forward movement of Miralem Pjanic.
Garcia began the game with club captain Francesco Totti leading the line but much like his colleagues, Totti was asked to move around constantly as he dropped deeper when needed and popped up on the flanks on occasions.
With Maicon, Dodo, Pjanic, Gervinho, Florenzi and Totti in constant motion, the opposing defenders and goalkeeper would have their work cut out throughout the 90 minutes.
At the back, Rudi Garcia’s orders completed what seemed a well-drilled tactical approach for the Rome club. Physical specimen Leandro Castan played a key role in clearing risks of counterattacks by closely marking Napoli’s advanced forward – the Brazilian also appeared on several occasions mopping up at left back with Dodo returning from an attacking foray.
Another player tasked with making up for Dodo’s defensive deficiencies was Dutchman Kevin Strootman who patrolled Roma’s midfield responsibly throughout the contest.
Benatia and De Rossi, the least mobile of all outfield players, maintained tactical positions key to retaining possession and defending against quick counterattacks.
S.S.C Napoli:
Under Walter Mazzarri, the 3-5-2 formation became synonymous with Napoli but where Benitez goes, the 4-2-3-1 system usually follows. The Spanish tactician utilized the transfer kitty received from the Edison Cavani transfer to create Napoli’s new squad in his own image.
Rafa is a manager who prepares his line-up to stifle the opposition by nullifying their points of strength and taking advantage of their weaknesses. With that in mind, Napoli relied on a deep defensive line which would allow minimum space for Roma’s forwards to run to while looking for quick counterattacks over the top. Napoli’s midfield were assigned precise defensive orders as Inler and Behrami stood firm in front of the center backs to negate Roma’s dangerous through-balls from center midfield – Napoli’s defensive minded center midfielders were also tasked with minimizing space between the lines.
Further up the pitch, Insigne, Pandev and Callejon were asked to press the home side’s defensive unit in order to allow minimum time in building an attack from the back.
First Half:
The home side, supported by a vibrant Stadio Olimpico, began the game on the front foot as Roma dominated possession with Dodo and Maicon stretching Napoli’s defense.
Roma’s left side held the lion’s share of the action as Dodo and the rejuvenated Gervinho combined to torment Christian Maggio who was returning from a niggling injury. Kevin Strootman played a significant role in the opening minutes as he dropped deep to instigate the attacking moves.
The home side huffed and puffed with Pjanic and De Rossi troubling Reina before the Giallorossi created their first real chance on 16 minutes. Pjanic received the ball in center midfield and after a clever one-two with Totti, the Bosnian playmaker released a deft through-ball which reached Gervinho but the Ivorian winger shot with his weaker foot and could not hit the target.
The Rome club continued their ascendancy as their attractive one-touch football left their opponents bamboozled on several occasions. Napoli also struggled with their passing as Roma’s forwards looked to regain possession high up the pitch forcing the away side to hoof the ball forward. Napoli, who prefer to build patiently from the back, simply could not get into the game.
The away side’s disciplined midfield cancelled out Roma’s trio throughout the first half causing a stranglehold in center midfield – the onus was then on the flanks and that is where Roma’s superiority showed.
Even with Roma having the edge, it took an inspired tackle from De Rossi to keep the scores level. A quick passing move through the middle saw Insigne break Roma’s high offside trap and released Goran Pandev clean through against De Sanctis – Napoli’s former keeper parried the shot but with the ball heading goal wards De Rossi intervened.
Minutes later, Rudi Garcia was forced to make the first change of the match as he replaced the injured Totti by Marco Borriello. The less-mobile Italian striker who possesses a large frame was deployed as a battering ram and a focal point for Roma’s attack.
Borriello almost enjoyed an immediate impact as his knockdown from a Strootman long ball cleared Florenzi for a shot from outside the box but the young midfielder could not find the target.
Injury then struck the Napoli ranks as Paolo Cannavaro was introduced for the stricken Britos.
With the half coming to a close, the Pandev-Insigne partnership was at it again – a clever turn and pass on the edge of the penalty box from Pandev freed Insigne but the forward could only hit the side netting for another hands-on-head moment for Benitez and co.
As Rafa and Garcia worked on their halftime team talks, Pjanic produced a moment of magic to change the complexion of the contest.
Paolo Cannavaro, who was still getting to grips with the pace of the game, mistimed his tackle on Gervinho and received a yellow card. The free kick, positioned towards the left of the penalty area, was shot to perfection by Pjanic who took the ball above the wall before diving beautifully into the back of the net.
Second Half:
Pjanic’s last gasp screamer ensured that Benitez had to turn things around for the second half.
Under the Spaniard’s orders, Napoli began the second half with their defense pushing higher and their midfield keeping possession. The away side relied on short intricate passes through the center of the park before looking to release their most advanced forward.
Rafa also ordered his fullbacks to push higher as they were positioned around the halfway line while Callejon and Insigne were asked to cut inside and move closer to Pandev.
With Inler and Behrami dominating the battle in center midfield, Napoli found success with their passing and were able to find space between the lines.
Against the run of play, it was Roma who created the first major opportunity of the second half as an in-swinging corner was missed by Hamsik and reached De Rossi on the far-post but the stand-in skipper couldn’t anticipate the cross and the chance went begging.
After the scare, Napoli returned to their control in the center of midfield with Behrami at the hub. The Swiss international regained possession almost immediately for the away side as he chased loose balls and dived into tackles quickly before Roma could spring any form of counterattack.
Despite their dominion, Napoli were left frustrated as they lacked the penetration and the cutting edge. With Maggio unfit and Mesto out-of-position, the fullbacks could not provide the outlet required to trouble Roma’s defense on the flanks. Hamsik’s lack of form was another factor of irritation for the Naples club.
Napoli were also slow and predictable in building their attack and were eventually limited to long shots from distance.
Rafa looked to rectify his side’s issues in attack by introducing Gonzalo Higuain for Goran Pandev on 68 minutes.
Unfortunately for the Spaniard, the outcome of his latest tactical switch would be short lived – Cannavaro, who struggled with Borriello’s physical strength in the second half, pulled down Roma’s number 88 inside the penalty area – the referee pointed to the spot and duly sent-off Napoli’s beleaguered center back.
With Totti on the sidelines, Pjanic stepped up to the plate and took his penalty successfully to give his manager the comfort of a two-goal cushion.
Using their numerical advantage, Roma produced a master class of passing for the remainder of the contest as the Giallorossi created several attacking plays spamming 15 passes or more.
The match came to a close with the Stadio Olimpico faithful celebrating their club’s eighth triumph in eight league games this season thus equaling a record set by Juventus during the 1985-86 and 1930-31 campaigns.
Verdict:
Matches at the top of the table are usually decided by minute events swaying towards one team or another. Had Pandev or Insigne possessed the killer instinct when through on goal in the first half then Napoli would have emerged with at least one point from this match.
Instead, Rafa Benitez was left ruing the injury to Britos and the subsequent introduction of Paolo Cannavaro – THE event which tilted matters in Roma’s favor.
Despite these fine margins, Rudy Garcia’s role in the revolution at Roma must not be devaluated. The French coach is proving to be an excellent man manager as he is getting the best out of his players – Maicon is producing the kind of form he delivered under Mourinho at Inter Milan while Gervinho looks reborn after his struggles at Arsenal.
Moreover, Garcia seems to have put together a group of players who gelled seamlessly. At the back, for example, the signing of Benatia to partner Castan is proving to be a masterstroke as the Moroccans’s reading of the game is complimented beautifully by the marauding Brazilian.
Before the match, Roma’s manager played down the impact of their perfect start to the campaign claiming that the target for this season was still qualification to European competition.
But deep down inside, the dream of Serie A glory must be brewing in the mind of Garcia after Roma equaled Juve’s eight match winning streak at the start of the season. Garcia knows that the Bianconeri emerged as title winners on both occasions they managed that feat!
Garcia’s Giallorossi are now the last remaining perfect team across the major European league championships and Roma’s new manager believes his balanced squad possess the credentials to remain at the top come the end of the season.
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