Napoli and Lazio played out an entertaining encounter on matchday 11 of Serie A, with the two halves producing contrasting performances. Gennaro Gattuso’s side carried the greater attacking threat before the break, but Napoli dominated after the restart and came close to turning the game around. Ultimately, both teams had to settle for a point. Lazio remain unbeaten at the top of the table, while Massimiliano Allegri’s men avoided another setback following their difficult start to the season.
Injury-hit Napoli face in-form Lazio
The two sides could hardly have entered the match in more contrasting circumstances. Lazio arrived in Naples with 28 points from ten matches and five consecutive league victories. The visitors had already scored 24 goals while conceding just eight. Napoli, meanwhile, sat eighth with 14 points, having recently suffered a 2-0 defeat at Juventus and a heavy 4-1 Champions League loss to Porto.
Allegri also had to contend with a lengthy injury list. Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Alessandro Buongiorno, Stanislav Lobotka and David Neres were among those unavailable. Napoli lined up in a 3-5-1-1 formation, with Amir Rrahmani anchoring the three-man defence, Kevin De Bruyne and Scott McTominay operating in central midfield, and Noa Lang supporting Rasmus Højlund in attack.
Gattuso opted for a 4-3-3 system but was without injured captain Mattia Zaccagni. Tijjani Noslin took his place on the left wing, with Andrea Pinamonti leading the attack. Davide Frattesi, Reda Belahyane and Kenneth Taylor formed the midfield trio.
Lazio make their strong start count
The visitors began with greater purpose, looking to threaten Napoli through quick, direct attacks. Lazio were particularly dangerous down the flanks, with their forwards repeatedly exploiting gaps between Napoli’s defenders while Frattesi made supporting runs from midfield into the penalty area.
Gustav Isaksen almost opened the scoring inside the first minute after Rafa Marín gave away possession. Noslin then fired narrowly wide before Vanja Milinković-Savić saved a dangerous effort from Isaksen. In the 17th minute, the Napoli goalkeeper also kept out a header from Josip Šutalo.
Lazio’s pressure eventually paid off in the 28th minute. Nuno Tavares initiated a well-executed counterattack down the left, Noslin picked up the ball and found Frattesi arriving from midfield. The Italian got the better of Sam Beukema before beating Milinković-Savić to give the visitors a deserved 1-0 lead.
Lazio suffered a setback shortly afterwards when Šutalo was forced off through injury and replaced by Diogo Leite. Napoli began to find their rhythm towards the end of the half, with Lang causing problems through his dribbling. In the 42nd minute, Højlund had an excellent opportunity to equalise, but Mandas produced a superb reaction save from close range after a cross from Mathías Olivera.
Napoli take control after the break
The balance of play shifted increasingly in Napoli’s favour after half-time. Lazio introduced Alfonso Pedraza in place of Nuno Tavares, but the substitute full-back endured a disastrous start to his afternoon.
Just three minutes after the restart, McTominay won possession and launched another Napoli attack. De Bruyne played the ball left to Lang, whose cross was diverted into his own net by Pedraza as he attempted to clear ahead of McTominay. The equaliser gave the hosts fresh momentum.
Napoli increased the pressure and created several excellent chances in quick succession. McTominay was first denied by Mandas, before Antonio Vergara forced another save from the Greek goalkeeper. Olivera failed to convert from a promising position, and De Bruyne then squandered another major opportunity. Mandas saved his initial effort before Belahyane cleared the follow-up off the goal line.
The hosts committed more players forward and stretched Lazio’s defence with quick combinations and attacks down both flanks. De Bruyne and McTominay pushed higher up the pitch from central midfield, while Lang repeatedly found space between the lines and on the left wing.
Gattuso’s team increasingly struggled to retain control. Pinamonti offered little attacking threat and was replaced by Fisayo Dele-Bashiru after an hour. Manuel Lazzari was also introduced to strengthen the right flank. Napoli subsequently brought on Frank Anguissa, Lorenzo Lucca and Matteo Politano, although they were unable to sustain the intensity of their opening 15 minutes after the break.
Napoli left to rue missed chances
Both teams registered 15 shots, while possession was almost evenly split at 49% to 51%. However, Napoli created considerably better scoring opportunities. The expected goals figures underline that difference: the hosts accumulated 2.35 xG compared with Lazio’s 0.86 xG. The visitors were far more clinical with their opportunities, while Napoli failed to make the most of several clear-cut chances, particularly in the second half.
Lazio had taken advantage of Napoli’s defensive vulnerabilities before the interval. Noslin caused repeated problems with his pace and runs down the left, while Frattesi’s movement from midfield added another dimension to the visitors’ attacking play. After half-time, however, Gattuso’s side were largely forced onto the defensive.
Mandas was the main reason Napoli failed to turn their superiority in chance creation into a victory. Having denied Højlund before the break, the Greek goalkeeper produced several outstanding saves as Napoli piled on the pressure in the second half. Belahyane’s goal-line clearance against De Bruyne was equally important.
For Napoli, Lang was a constant source of danger. The Dutchman initiated numerous promising attacks down the left and forced the equaliser with his dangerous delivery into the box. McTominay and De Bruyne also added an attacking threat with their runs from midfield, but neither could convert their opportunities.
Lazio stay top as Napoli’s struggles continue
Lazio remain unbeaten after eleven league matches and head into the international break at the top of the table with 29 points. The Rome side impressed with their quick transitions in the first half but increasingly lost control of midfield after the interval.
Napoli, meanwhile, remain in mid-table with 15 points. Allegri’s side improved considerably after a disappointing first half and created enough opportunities to win the match. Their lack of ruthlessness in front of goal, however, cost them a much-needed home victory. With injuries continuing to disrupt the squad and results falling short of expectations, pressure remains firmly on the team from Naples.
