Despite having only won once at Udine in the last 25 years, Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis confidently claimed on Radio Kiss Kiss the morning ahead of the game against Udinese that the Partenopei would win 2-0.
However the patron’s prediction failed to come to fruition as the Azzurri had to settle for a point after surrendering a first-half lead at the Friuli.
Rafa Benitez made six changes to the side that started last weekend against Lazio with hat-trick hero Gonzalo Higuain most notably missing out after picking up a knock to his left leg in training.
Duvan Zapata started in place of Pipita, and the young Colombian forward provided an assist for the opening goal of the game on 38 minutes. Faouzi Ghoulam’s long throw-in into the box was headed down by Zapata for Jose Callejon who half-volleyed the ball back across Simone Scuffet in the Udinese goal.
The Partenopei had two excellent chances to double their lead at the start of the second-half through Zapata and Lorenzo Insigne, but were punished for wasting their opportunities minutes later after an individual error by Pepe Reina helped the home side secure a 1-1 draw.
The goalkeeper’s poor attempted pass to Valon Behrami was intercepted by Giampiero Pinzi, who then slid the ball through to Bruno Fernandes to clinically score with one touch.
Napoli lost confidence after conceding the equaliser and with Udinese putting pressure on the Vesuviani defence for the final 35 minutes of the match, Federico Fernandez was shown a second yellow card for a trip on Gabriel Silva on the edge of the penalty box.
This result ensured that Napoli are now unable to catch Roma in second. However the Vesuviani maintain that they are transitioning to a new tactical scheme and are looking to create a strong team for the future, as De Laurentiis explained during the same interview with Radio Kiss Kiss.
“Together with Rafa Benitez and Riccardo Bigon we are taking stock of the situation. We are focusing on quality players and a number of youngsters. Young players are motivated and are willing to go the extra mile. It gives me enormous satisfaction having youngsters in the squad aged 20 to 23 who can mature with us.”
Napoli are already looking ahead with last Tuesday’s edition of Tuttosport claiming the club president had confided in close friends that he has already secured the Azzurri’s first signing for next season.
Initial rumours suggested that the player was most likely long-term transfer target Maxime Gonalons after he was left out of Lyon’s advertising campaign for their 2014-15 jerseys.
However it is perhaps more likely that the deal in question was for 22-year-old Genk centre-back Kalidou Koulibaly, who according to TuttoMercatoWeb.com will formally sign at the end of the season for a fee of around €5 million.
The physically imposing French Under-20 international fits the movie mogul’s description of the type of player that Napoli are looking for and for Carlo Molinari, the former president at Koulibaly’s first professional club Metz, would be an excellent addition.
[Koulibaly] has all the qualities to meet [Benitez’s] needs. He is very good with his feet, coming out of the defence, is physically imposing and hardly ever loses one on one duels. When necessary he can also play in midfield,” Molinari told TuttoMercatoWeb.com.
“I would say that [Koulibaly’s] most reliable comparison is with Marcel Desailly. Napoli have got a bargain, he is a guy who works seriously, with his head on his shoulders and has done well at Genk despite some difficulties settling in due to the language. He is constantly growing.”
But before any summer spending can take place, the Partenopei will look to seal third place against Inter on Saturday night. Dries Mertens returns from suspension after missing the Udinese match and Higuain should be fit to play after training with the rest of the squad on Easter Sunday. However Callejon is a doubt for Benitez’s return to the San Siro after sustaining a foot injury during a training match.
