A Theft in Naples

By: Jeremy | November 24th, 2008

When a team gives up a last minute goal to cost themselves points is it lack of experience? Discipline? When a team scores a goal in the last minute to earn points is it a sign of experience? Discipline? Unless it is a pattern a team shows or involves Naples v. Cagliari and Daniele Conti, I am not sure those questions can easily be answered. We clearly have their number however since their return to Serie A.

Say what you want, but we did not deserve points in this game even if it is clear we fought to the end and scored a well deserved goal in the dying seconds to grab a draw. Napoli came out flying trying to establish themselves and show that they would not allow their perfect home record be ruined by a team who cannot do much at all on the road. Hamsik got the first goal for Napoli in minute nine which was helped by a deflection. Naples pretty much dominated the first half and although we slowed their early fast pace down, by the end of the half, we were lucky to be down only one goal.

The second half started and we clearly showed we were not going to let them blow us out of the stadium. After a nice buildup by Acquafresca, who after being expected not to play, put in a full 90 minutes, defender Lopez got a nice finish in minute 55 to tie the game 1-1. Acquafrescas play was important to this team. He is the main reason we have turned around a bad start and along with Jeda seems to be forming a nice strike partnership making Larrivey and Matri team afterthoughts, which they should be.

Napoli seemed to have more chances the rest of the match with our new young goalkeeper Marchetti making some nice saves. Napoli was finally rewarded in minute 85 with a great free kick by Lavezzi that maybe Marchetti could have done better with, but was still a nice goal. 2-1 game over right? Not when it is Cagliari/Naples. With Cagliari still fighting and knowing anything can happen, especially after we used last years home game against them to springboard our survival fight, we had two nice chances in the final minutes with Jedas nice run through the Napoli Swiss Cheese defense allowing for a pass to Conti and an easy finish for a dramatic 2-2 draw, ending Napolis perfect home run and getting us a vital point.

Naples fans have to be upset. You simply cant give away points like that at home against a team that while improved, is still a strong relegation contender. Why it happens who knows, but sometimes that is just soccer. The best sign is that Cagliari is not a bunch of quitters. For some of the guys that have been around the past 2-3 seasons, they know anything is possible and they give it their all until the end. You cant overly criticize Napoli but I think their fans are getting spoiled. This is an 8th or 9th place team in my opinion. Games like this do not help their belief that they should finish on par with the likes of Juve, who they sit tied with in the standings.

This was a great point for us, but what we need to continue to do after each weeks matches is look at where the other relegation teams are and what is happening with them. Not all news is good for us despite the point. Cheivo clearly is starting to fall by the wayside with only 6 points, and while I was not one of them, those who picked Chievo for relegation seemed to know something. They just lack the overall depth needed to compete in Serie A for a whole season. Bologna is barely holding on with 9 points, but they should be able to pick up some points the rest of the first half so they are in the mix for safety as of now. Reggina, one of my poicks for relegation, has gone from 5 points to 11 points in two weeks with two nice wins. Momentum means a lot in this league so they are fighting back and have to feel good about being safe in the end. They dodge relegation like Cagliari. Lecce, another pick I had for relegation, sits on 12 points but seems to be tiring. They can go either way at this point, but might be closer to Chievo when all is said and done. They need to right the ship and quick. Siena sits on 16 points and Giampaolo has to feel good about his team. I had them pegged for relegation, but I seem to be wrong there. Torino is kind of a wildcard. They play like garbage for weeks and then get a stunning result or two just to stay in the safety zone. They played with spirit against Milan who continues to waste all that talent by giving away points. I think Beckham is a great addition for them however so dont count them out of the Scudetto race yet.

While we sit on 14 points after yesterdays gift, we still need to do more if we are going to earn safety early rather then rely on wins against Serie A’s best in the final weeks. Our schedule is backloaded with difficulty so we must get some points at home the next couple of weeks. We get consecutive home games against Sampdoria and Palermo which are very interesting matchups. Sampdoria is a good team despite their bad start, and Palermo always scares me even if they seem to end up a mid table type team. Ballardinis return, if he isnt fired by then, will make for some fun and I still wonder why he did not return. Was Cellino a cheap skate or was Ballardini too cocky(which if true was certainly justifiable) in his salary demands after last years miracle. Anything less then four points the next two weeks will be a disappointment, but it certainly wont be easy to obtain these results.

The point we got yesterday may make a big difference in the final standings to where we finish and Allegri has to be complimented for keeping that fighting spirit in the team. If nothing else, this weekend was just another reminder that we seem to have Napolis number, but that also it is going to be hard to find three teams to relegate at the end of the year as Serie A is strong from top to bottom. I think La Liga and the Premier League are taking Serie A’s lead and it is looking like all of these leagues will have relegation battles that could involve the bottom ten in the whole league. This makes for enjoyable if not nervous times for fans of teams like Cagliari et al.

Have a great week everyone and be thankful this week especially for all you have. Happy Thanksgiving!!