Napoli’s Union Berlin Struggle Proves Plan B is Needed

In many ways, Napoli’s 1-1 draw with Union Berlin was a perfect distillation of their season so far. The reigning Italian champions were impressive in moments; infuriating and predictable in others.

By the end, the impression was there that the home side wouldn’t score even if there had been another 30 minutes put on the clock. Frederik Ronnow’s goal was peppered with shots — some 27 of them — yet only five managed to trouble the Union goalkeeper. Napoli had 72% possession and ended the game with more than twice as many passes as the German side, yet everything was in front of Union and for the most part, easily dealt with.

This was a game that Napoli should’ve won with ease. Union hadn’t even scored a goal in any competition in over a month, since the 4-2 defeat to Borussia Dortmund on October 7, let alone a win and had went into the game against Napoli on the back of six straight defeats.

It looked like they would be on course for a seventh consecutive loss when Matteo Politano inadvertently put Napoli into the lead. Yet Union scored in the second half with the most straight forward of counter attacks: a long punt up the field, a pass from David Fofana into Sheraldo Becker — whose shot was saved by Alex Meret — and Fofana rifled home the rebound completely unmarked inside the penalty area.

The defending from Napoli was shocking, elementary in the truest sense, and it speaks to a wider issue coach Rudi Garcia has failed to address since arriving at the club. Napoli sold South Korean defender Kim Min-Jae to Bayer Munich last summer, and while Brazilian replacement Natan may come good eventually, Min-Jae’s absence in the heart of the Napoli defence is keenly felt. Moreover, Amir Rrahmani, who formed a solid partnership with Min-Jae in the title-winning season, also appears to be suffering from his absence, with the Albanian’s performances nowhere close to his excellent form a year ago.

Yet it’s in attack where Napoli seem to have the biggest problems. Star striker Victor Osimhen is out with a hamstring injury suffered while on international duty with Nigeria, and Garcia has opted for the diminutive Giacomo Raspadori as his replacement to lead the line. Raspadori is an excellent substitute for Osimhen as a player, the Italian is technically exquisite, good at drifting in between the lines and can carry the ball, what he isn’t good at, however, is standing in the box waiting for crosses from full-backs Giovanni Di Lorenzo and Mario Rui. Against Union, both provided cross after cross to the 5ft 8in Raspadori, which was easily swatted away by the Union defenders. Napoli’s attack was too predictable, with both Politano and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia then cutting inside into a mass of Union bodies, and both being suffocated at times.

The style of play that works best with Osimhen leading the line doesn’t translate into the same success with Raspadori as his replacement, and Garcia needs to figure out a plan B for when the Nigerian isn’t available. Napoli haven’t struggled to score goals in Osimhen’s absence, but it is clear they aren’t as threatening. Perhaps if Garcia had turned to Giovanni Simeone from the start, who offers a far greater aerial threat than Raspadori, Napoli might’ve earned all three points and taken a step close to Champions League qualification.

As it is, Napoli have to face Real Madrid in the Santiago Bernabeu and Braga at the Stadio Diego Maradona. A defeat against Madrid will likely mean going into the final game of the group stage against Braga needing a win. Given Napoli’s up-and-down season so far, you wouldn’t bet on them to advance along with the Spanish giants as most predicted.

Furthermore, whether Garcia will be afforded the time to hone a plan B remains a mystery at this stage.