Friday’s friendly (MSC Crosiere Cup) between Napoli and Benefica at Stadio San Paolo was a chance to see two sides who both finished second place in their respective leagues. It was also the first time the Napoli tifosi got to see the “Napoli Cheerleaders” – No comment.
On to the actual game. Although it was a friendly, there were some positives to take from the game for Napoli (negatives as well). So, I bring you the Good, the Bad and the Ugly from Friday’s match.
The Good:
- Lorenzo Insigne – His movement, pace and footwork were excellent in the first half. He delivered the cross that was met by Valon Behrami header to get the game’s first goal. If Insigne keeps this up, he will an easy choice for Benitez. The issue with Insigne that I noticed was his decision-making needs to be better. There were times he held onto the ball too long or should have passed instead of shooting. I believe this will improve with him getting more playing time, which should be the case this year.
- Valon Behrami – Besides scoring the opening goal, Behrami was a force in the midfield. He played physically and made solid tackles. Hopefully, Behrami keeps up his hard-nose work (made over 5.5 tackles per game – lead Serie A)
- Gonzalo Higuain – Scored his first goal in the Napoli shirt, which proved to be the game winner. Granted it was not a spectacular goal, however he finished the opportunity when the ball came to his feet. Besides that he showed good passing skills with both feet and dropped deep in the midfield to get balls.
- Marek Hamsik – As always a delight to watch on the field. Made precise passes and was always there to support deep-lying midfield and the attack. On a side note, Hamsik looked great with captain band and is great that he re-signed with Napoli until the 2018 season!
- Napoli Anthem – Some people like the original better but for me there is something that gives me goosebumps about the new one – I like it!
- Honorable mentions – Raul Albiol, Dries Mertens
The Bad:
- Set-piece defending – Napoli defending on set-pieces looks like it is still an issue. It was an issue versus Porto in the Emirates Cup. The goal allowed by Napoli was from a free-kick that Pepe Reina had little chance on. The ball was swung in and not one Napoli player was covering the Benefica goal-scorer (Luisao). The bad defending on set-pieces was an issue last year as well, however to make matters worse is that Rafa Benitez zonal marking is known to give up goals on set-pieces.
- Other Disappointments: Gokhan Inler, Jose Callejon
The Ugly:
- Cheerleaders (not the actually women) – I understand that the Napoli owner, Aurelio De Laurentiis, is in show business and is a showman himself, but cheerleaders at a football match? This is not American football! I am sure there are some fans that enjoyed it, but I am not one of them.
All in all though, it was a positive result winning the MSC Crosiere Cup 2-1 after a frustrating Emirates Cup.
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