Last season, Napoli finished second in Serie A under their then new manager Maurizio Sarri.
Since Sarri’s appointment, Napoli have scored over two goals per game in the league and
are generally considered to be playing the most attractive football in Serie A. Sarri
has also overcome the loss of leading scorer Gonzalo Higuain to rivals Juventus, and his
ability to get the most out of an attacking trident of Lorenzo
Insigne , Dries Mehrtens, and Jose Callejon has been a significant feature of Napoli’s
incisive attacking play.
Napoli line up in a fairly orthodox 4-3-3, which becomes a 4-5-1 in defensive posture.
They press aggressively in the opponent’s half, following the ball and aiming to cut
off the opposition’s passing angles when in possession.
Napoli play a high defensive line, which assists this high press.
Pepe Reina sweeps competently behind, although they occasionally get into trouble against
quicker forwards.
The high line allows for compactness in the opposition half – as the press is engaged,
Napoli can avoid too much space appearing because
the defence are so far up that the opposition is forced to pass backwards or laterally.
Napoli aim to win possession back quickly or, at the very least, force the opposition
back or into an error.
For Sarri, two principles are key above all else: verticality and possession.
Napoli are geared up to keep the ball and move it forwards with intensity.
If the option is not there, they will recycle the ball until it is.
Napoli build patiently from the back.
Reina plays short from goal kicks or when he has possession from open play, with Koulibaly
and Raul Albiol giving short options, and Jorginho or defensive midfield prospect Amadou
Diawara , a deep-lying playmaker, dropping in as well.
This movement forms at least a triangle, if not several, and all four players are comfortable
taking the ball and playing it around.
This serves two purposes.
Firstly, it lures the opposition striker or strikers into the press, which tires them
out and disrupts their own first defensive line.
Secondly, it can pull the opposition midfield forward as well, which then leaves Marek Hamsik
or Allan with space between the lines.
If the short ball option is occluded by an opposition player, Ghoulam and Hysaj or (the
other full backs) can push or drop to give Reina or the centre backs a wider option.
As Napoli progress the ball vertically, these players also provide width, as the team morphs
into something of a 2-1-4-3 in attack, often focussing on the left side.
Verticality is key for Sarri, and Napoli’s attacking system is predicated on players
finding the space to offer vertical passing lanes.
Insigne is a gifted inside forward, given licence to drift into the half spaces and
without the requirement to stay wide; width, instead,
comes from the full-backs, especially the dynamic Ghoulam on the left, and Jose Callejon,
who is a more traditional winger on the right.
Napoli ​attack preferentially through the half spaces and focus mostly on the left hand
side, where their most technically adept players line-up.
They focus on retaining possession with quick, incisive passes and movement to open triangular passing lanes.
This creates angled vertical passing options, relying on the technical abilities of players
to retain possession under pressure, while working the ball around to create overloads between the lines.
Insigne, Hamsik, and Mertens are the main beneficiaries of this approach, and have scored
34 goals between them already this season, with Mertens excelling as an out and out striker.
Napoli defend with intensity, pressing the ball and disrupting opponent’s possession as much as possible.
They look to win it back and then attack with verticality, retaining possession with plenty
of movement off the ball to offer a multiplicity of passing options.