Louis Gibberd-Thomas analyses whether Napoli can recover from their Juventus defeat in time for a Europa League clash against Villarreal on Thursday
It was arguably the clash of the season, the meeting of two teams vying for success. Napoli were already at a disadvantage in that they were the visiting side, but Juventus were missing Mario Mandzukic, Martin Caceres and Giorgio Chiellini for this vital fixture. In truth, it wasn’t the classic many had envisaged, with neither side able to threaten the opposing goal too often. In the end, Napoli were undone by a moment of fortune when the shot from Simone Zaza deflected off Raul Albiol and beyond Pepe Reina.
The immediate aftermath of the defeat has been strikingly positive, with Maurizio Sarri praising his side’s performance and Lorenzo Insigne insisting there are still 13 games remaining for matters to change. The reaction from fans was equally impressive, with 3,000 supporters meeting the returning players at the airport in the early hours of the morning. Although the performance lacked goal-scoring opportunities, the fans were noticeably pleased with the display from their players.
The Partenopei now have four more meetings with teams in the top six, with AC Milan and Fiorentina the next two fixtures in their calendar. Many would fancy the Azzurri to do the business despite their recent set back, but it is imperative that they keep the pressure up on Juventus. Inter and Fiorentina look the most likely to trouble the Bianconeri in their final games, so Sarri will be hoping one or both can cause an upset.
Next up for Napoli however is a trip to the Estadio El Madrigal to face Villarreal, the next instalment of their Europa League campaign. The fixture will have great significance to Villarreal defender Victor Ruiz, formerly a Napoli player. The Spaniard was highly thought of by then coach Walter Mazzarri, who paid Espanyol a fee of €6 million in 2011. However the move didn’t work out for Ruiz, who made less than ten league appearances during his time in Italy. At the time Ruiz was the only Spaniard in the Napoli team, in stark contrast to four first team players that hail from the Iberian peninsula today.
Daniele Bonera faced Napoli numerous times during his time with AC Milan, so Villarreal will be looking to the Italian for a few pointers. Gonzalo Higuain has only ever scored three times against Villarreal during his long tenure with Real Madrid, while Jose Callejon has never scored against the Yellow Submarines, despite several meetings wearing the shirt of Real Madrid and Espanyol. Cedric Bakambu will be the main threat to the Napoli goal, with eight goals in La Liga so far this season.
Villarreal are currently fourth in La Liga behind both Madrid clubs and Barcelona, which is impressive considering the club had been relegated a few seasons ago. The emphasis to win the Europa League is still very strong, but Sarri will be comforted now his side look set to compete in the Champions League next season. As much a set back the defeat to Juventus has been, nothing will stop the Azzurri fighting to the very bitter end.
