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‘Extra Games Are Taking Their Toll‘ – The View On Napoli

Italian Football Expert Vieri Capretta believes Napoli have suffered from losing a host of key players to injury in recent weeks as they battle to qualify in the UEFA Europa League.

2021-12-08T09:18:00.000Z

by Sam Jones

Published

08 Dec, 2021

‘Extra Games Are Taking Their Toll‘ – The View On Napoli

Italian Football Expert Vieri Capretta believes Napoli have suffered from losing a host of key players to injury in recent weeks as they battle to qualify in the UEFA Europa League.

Sam Jones

2021-12-08T09:18:00.000Z

‘Extra Games Are Taking Their Toll‘ – The View On Napoli

Italian Football Expert Vieri Capretta believes Napoli have suffered from losing a host of key players to injury in recent weeks as they battle to qualify in the UEFA Europa League.

Sam Jones

2021-12-08T09:18:00.000Z

‘Extra Games Are Taking Their Toll‘ – The View On Napoli

Italian Football Expert Vieri Capretta believes Napoli have suffered from losing a host of key players to injury in recent weeks as they battle to qualify in the UEFA Europa League.

Sam Jones

2021-12-08T09:18:00.000Z

‘Extra Games Are Taking Their Toll‘ – The View On Napoli

Italian Football Expert Vieri Capretta believes Napoli have suffered from losing a host of key players to injury in recent weeks as they battle to qualify in the UEFA Europa League.

Sam Jones

2021-12-08T09:18:00.000Z

- Napoli and Leicester City face off in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday (5:45pm kick-off)- The visitors to Diego Armando Maradona Stadium hold top spot in Group C ahead of the final fixture_- Italian Football Expert Vieri Capretta provides his thoughts on Napoli’s season to date- Several players remain sidelined for the Italians, who have struggled for form in Serie A_

The Naples club enter their final Group C fixture, at home to group leaders Leicester City, third in the pool and with all four teams still able to reach the knockout stages, there is everything to play for at Diego Armando Maradona Stadium on Thursday evening.

The 5:45pm kick-off sees the two favourites go head-to-head for the second time, following a 2-2 draw at Leicester City Stadium in the opening group match, when the Foxes held a two-goal lead before Victor Osimhen’s brace rescued a point for Luciano Spalletti’s side.

However, the hosts will be without the Nigerian forward for this reverse fixture, as he joins a lengthy list of players currently sidelined through injury, including captain and talisman Lorenzo Insigne.

“They have got a lot of players missing,” Capretta told LCFC Radio’s Matchday Live in the lead up to the encounter. “The likes of Insigne, Osimhen up front, Fabio Ruiz and [André-Frank Zambo] Anguissa in the middle, [Kalidou] Koulibaly at the back, a lot of vital players, it makes all the difference.

“Osimhen had a lot of injuries last season as well. He had found a bit of consistency and then the injury picked up against Inter is something that could be a game changer for Napoli in terms of where they end up in the league and if they progress in the Europa League.

“They’ve got a great replacement in Dries Mertens, a player who has consistently performed at the top level. In the middle, they do have options, [Piotr] Zieliński is a great midfielder, but in terms of how unique he is, Anguissa is a big miss for Napoli. It all adds up because you’re without four or five starting players.”

Those injuries have, according to Capretta, contributed to the Italian outfit's recent struggles, both domestically and in Europe, as well as the difficulties associated with playing Serie A fixtures so soon after their Europa League exploits.

Since the start of November, Gli Azzurri, who are seen as serious challengers for the Scudetto, have won just once in the league, with a convincing success over Lazio tempered by defeats to Inter Milan and Atalanta and draws against Hellas Verona and Sassuolo.

A loss to Spartak Moscow in their previous European clash was another blow to their chances of European qualification, meanwhile.

The journalist explained: “It’s been quite a visible dip in form after the international break when they had their first defeat of the season at Inter. They are the Italian champions, they were at home, but then Napoli lost at Atalanta at the weekend.

“Again, it’s something that can happen, but if you are really fighting to win Serie A, it’s those vital games that make difference between being first and third - where Napoli are currently. In-between they also got a big win against Lazio at home, 4-0. But they also lost in the Europa League.

“They were so consistent in the first few months of the season. You can have a dip in form, it’s just a matter of how you handle it. It's about rotating the squad that isn’t to say the not so big names Napoli have aren’t good players, but they don’t have the same confidence as a group as the starting XI.

“Playing on a Thursday is something that Italian coaches think about a lot in terms of what you then do at the weekend and how you prepare for games on a tactical basis with a bit less time.

“You can see that with the other teams in European competitions, Roma and Lazio. They haven’t been as consistent and as good as you’d expect, looking at some of the players they’ve got. They were hoping to get a win in the last fixture and end it there, but that didn’t happen.”

While the group winner will automatically qualify for the last 16, in a change to the Europa League format, second place will face a play-off game against a team finishing third in a Champions League group, for a spot in the knockout stages.

Third in the group, Napoli’s current position, will enter the newly-formed Europa Conference League, though they will still have eyes on top spot, a possible outcome should they triumph over Leicester.

“Napoli have been one of the most consistent Italian clubs in Europe in the last decade or so,” Capretta added. “One of the reasons is that they’ve always done their best in the Europa League as well as having some good spells in the Champions League.

“I think they’ll want to progress, of course, and if they don’t, it could be a blow in terms of what it does to confidence, but they’ll want to still go to the Conference League because it’s another opportunity to play European football. We know how important that is for the image of the club.

“At the same time, they haven’t won the league in over 30 years, and they’ve got a pretty good chance this season in terms of the squad. Having to play those extra games in Europe can take something away from results in the league.”

All times GMT.

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