Naples in emergency seeking relaunch in Cagliari
LNapoli's attack is still decimated and will remain so not only tomorrow during the match against Cagliari, but at least until the midweek match against Spezia. The situation for Dries Mertens is not resolved for the moment, even if his return from Belgium, where he went to treat a sprained ankle, is now imminent. But above all, Osimhen's condition is getting worse, already absent for two months due to a dislocated shoulder, and now also affected by Covid. In the next few days, Napoli will decide on the measure to adopt against the Nigerian for having disregarded the strict protocols established by the club and having participated in recent days in Lagos at the party for his 22nd birthday among dozens of people who were dancing without wearing masks.
In any case, a very substantial fine is expected, which will be accompanied by a harsh scolding from Rino Gattuso upon his return to Castel Volturno. Despite the difficulties in the lineup (Koulibaly has not yet overcome the muscular problem in his left thigh) the Azzurri are looking for a relaunch tomorrow in Cagliari after having managed to score only one point in the last three league games, the one obtained in extremis before the break in the game at the Diego Maradona against Torino.
The road must be resumed as soon as possible and Gattuso hopes that the short break at the end of the year has served the men of his squad to recover some energy that the players seemed to have lost due to what was seen in the performances of ten days ago. The coach has few doubts about the formation: Ospina in goal, Di Lorenzo, Manolas, Maksimovic and Hysaj in defense, Ruiz and Bakayoko in midfield, Lozano, Zielinski and Insigne behind Petagna, the lone striker. Gattuso hopes a lot in the former Spallino who, at least until Mertens returns, will be entrusted with the task of aiming first and foremost to solve the goal problem. The rest will have to be taken care of above all by Lozano and Insigne while Zielinski, as usual, will be entrusted with the task of also giving a hand to the midfield, modifying the 4-2-3-1 to a more 'covered' 4-3-3 when necessary.
Article published on 2 January 2021 - 20:23
