View from the Opposition: Napoli finding new identity in post-Higuain world

This comes in the form of Maurizio Sarri’s Napoli side, who suffered through something of a bitter situation in the summer as they lost Gonzalo Higuain but appear to have covered the loss well in the transfer market.

In order to get an idea of how they are coping so far, we spoke to Kirsten Schlewitz of unusualefforts.com about the game.

Napoli currently find themselves second in the table just in front of Roma, with four wins, two draws and a loss. How has the season started?

“That start is actually slightly better than last season’s - trouble is, last season we started with the loss and went on to steadily improve, while this season ... well, we just lost to Atalanta. That side looked utterly out of ideas.

“But now that Napoli have seen a couple instances in which a solid game plan can foil their own tactics (the Genoa game was a good example of that as well) hopefully Sarri has taken it on board and we can emerge even stronger.”

Napoli came second last year to Juventus after leading for a lot of the season, do you think they can go the extra mile and win it?

“No. Sorry, fellow Napoli fans, but no. And sorry Roma fans, but it won’t be you either. At this point, taking Juventus down will require a perfect cocktail of squad chemistry, razor-sharp tactics, intelligent transfers, a lack of serious injuries to key players, and, of course, money. Both of these sides have a few of these ingredients on hand, but we haven’t managed to mix them all together yet. Maybe in a of couple years.”

What was the transfer window like for Napoli?

“See, last season there was a fellow by the name of Gonzalo Higuaín, whose 36 goals won him the Capocannoniere. Then he pulled some really treacherous stuff, and we had to sell him to the league’s biggest club - something every Serie A fan should be ticked off about, by the way, not just Napoli fans. Anyway, we didn’t use that huge lump of euros to buy a new star, yet we’re managing to score goals just fine. José Callejón getting the chance to shine again is a big part of that. So is - or was - Arkadiusz Milik.”

Milik’s recent injury isn’t ideal for Napoli, how big a loss is he?

“Huge. It’s difficult to believe that Napoli still haven’t learned their lesson about bringing in a truly talented back-up striker. Maybe Manolo Gabbiadini will step up. Maybe the impact will be lessened if we quickly secure that spot in the next round of the Champions League. Or maybe Sarri has a trick up his sleeve. A trick in which he quickly teaches Gabbiadini how to create the sort of space Milik does, allowing space for the rest of our attackers.”

Which players could make an impact against Roma?

“Marek Hamšík. Always Marek Hamšík. He’s Napoli’s puppet-master, our orchestral conductor, and if he’s having an off game everyone will suffer. Jorginho, too, can have that sort of impact on the match - he goes a bit unnoticed when he’s doing well, but when he struggles play just sort of breaks down.

“Oh, and I’m currently swooning over Dries Mertens. He’s had his ups and downs at Napoli, but he can really make the difference in a game, whether from the start - as seen in that incredible performance against Benfica in the Champions League - or from the bench, which is where he’ll likely be against Roma. That doesn’t mean you should rule out his ability to turn the game on its head, however.”

What sort of tactical set-up could we see from Napoli in this match?

“I’ve heard Sarri tested a false nine! In training he put Lorenzo Insigne, Dries Mertens and José Callejón all on the pitch together, which quite frankly is the stuff my fantasies are made of. Unfortunately, it seems Mertens needs a bit of rest after starting twice for Belgium in the World Cup Qualifiers last week, so it’ll be a more standard 4-3-3, with Gabbiadini getting the nod.”

How do Napoli fans view Roma? And what have they made of the Roma's start to the season?

“Well I think we all know that, while each side might have clubs they hate more, there’s not a lot of love lost between Napoli and Roma (to put it mildly). But when it comes to this season, Napoli are challenging Juventus. We can laugh at Roma’s stumbles (losing to Fiorentina? Really?!) but – sorry - pay little attention to the triumphs.

If you could add one player from Roma to Napoli’s squad, who would it be?

“Can you give us Kostas Manolas, please? Raúl Albiol is getting up there in years and surely Chelsea are going to steal Kalidou Koulibaly, so it’d be great if we could have another quality centre-back. Thank you in advance.”

What is your score prediction for the game?

“2-0 to Roma because I have to watch at 6am on a Saturday and the football gods love to destroy my weekend before it even truly begins.”

Follow @james_gooderson and @kdschlewitz on Twitter.