Napoli 3 Vs 1 Chelsea : Match Analysis

A great match to watch , albeit due to shaky defending from both teams, it was free flowing football played at an enjoyable tempo.

Napoli have played the same way for 2 years, their unconventional 3-4-2-1 formation and their high tempo, counter-attacking style has been tailored to suit the abilities of their players. The wide midfielders, Zuniga, and Maggio, drop deep to form a 5 man defensive line, and also push forward to form a 5, sometimes 7 man offense. They are a team that doesn't like to have too much of the ball, and prefer to base their attacks from interceptions or dispossesing opponents.

Chelsea are still trying to find a formula that works, the Stamford Bridge outfit is going through a transition phase with intense pressure on the players and the manager Andre Villas-Boas. They haven't been clear with their tactical ideas and playing styles, and continue experimenting with different formations. 4-2-3-1 was the chosen plan to face the Serie A side. Going into this game, consensus was that Chelsea's advantage would be the experience of their players who are accustomed to this level of competition with the team. However, with Essien, Lampard, and Obi left out on the bench, their experience advantage was mostly forfeited.

The match began at a high tempo with Napoli looking the more dangerous side as Cavani was played onto a 1-on-1 situation which was saved by Peter Cech, making him the first goalkeeper to save a Cavani shot in the Champions League.

At 27 minutes, Paolo Cannavaro made a mess of an easy clearance in-front of his goal as Mata placed it into the back of the net. 1-0 for Chelsea. Napoli looked shocked after going a goal down, Cannavaro and De Sanctis looked especially nervous and Chelsea could've doubled their lead on a few occasions. It took the home team a few minutes to regain their focus and start seriously looking for a goal.

The equalizer finally came from a wonderful Lavezzi strike at minute 38. Lavezzi went on one of his usual runs on the left channel and cut through to the center- Raul Meireles looked on course to close down the talented Argentine before he inexplicably moved away from him, giving Lavezzi enough time to have a cup of tea before setting up his shot and placing it into the bottom right corner of the net.

With the scoreline at 1-1, Napoli looked hungry for the winner, which presented itself before the end of the half. Cavani directed the ball into the net using his shoulder as Inler played a wonderful ball that passed right in-front of Ivanovic and Cahil - who should've done better to clear it to safety. Chelsea's appeals for handball were dismissed by the referee and 2-1 was the result at half-time.

For a side whose strength are transitional play and counter-attacks, Napoli went into the second half to do just that. With no changes in either team's lineups, Chelsea took control off the game , pressuring their opponents, and creating a few half-chances. Chelsea grew more confident,pushed forward more than what was necessary and were almost punished as Lavezzi shot wide with only Cech to beat.

On the 65th minute, and arguably during Chelsea's best period in the match, David Luiz made a mess of what should have been a simple clearance as the ball bounced off Cavani’s chest, and while most players would’ve just attempted a shot, Cavani showed his class and vision by luring Cech out of his goal and waiting for Lavezzi’s run before calmly setting up his team-mate onto an open Chelsea goal. 

After the third goal, the game settled into a slower tempo as Chelsea looked demotivated and Napoli looked content with their 2 goal cushion. In an attempt to liven things up at the 70th minute mark, AVB decided to finally bring on the heavy artillery, Lampard and Essien made their way onto the pitch for Meireles and Malouda which saw Sturridge move into the left channel. 

Nicolo Frustalupi, who was deputizing for Walter Mazzari as he serves out his 2 game suspension, responded to Chelsea's reinforcements by bringing on Dzemaili for Lavezzi , effectively forming a more defensive minded midfield. 

The blues continued to put pressure on Napoli and tested the keeper through a few long range shots, however, it was always Napoli who looked more dangerous as they often caught their opponents  on the wrong foot. With 10 minutes to go, Hamsik dribbled past his marker and played it across the face of the goal to the waiting Maggio who could've made it four, were it not for Cole's goal-line clearance.  

Closing Points: 

* Possibly all four goals tonight can be pinpointed to basic defensive errors. It looked like P.Cannavaro and David Luiz were competing for who can defend worse.

*Cavani's shoulder goal could've been cleared by either Ivanovic or Cahill, but they both assumed the ball was going out to safety and under-estimated how clinical the Uruguayan striker really is. 

* Meireles does have something to offer this Chelsea team,  but he seems uneasy in his position as a deep-midfielder. (Which was evident from his reactions to a few situations throughout the game, most notably , the one that led to Lavezzi's equalizer)

* Chelsea were superior in every single statistic in this match except the most vital 2: Attempts on Goal, and Goals scored. Lots of possession and no goals. 

*A 2 goal cushion can be over-turned, especially with the suspect defending we saw tonight. Napoli have the advantage though since the Blues will be looking to attack at Stamford Bridge, and Napoli are the masters of the counter-attack.