Napoli’s recent form has taken a turn for the worse following two successive defeats ended an eleven game unbeaten run in all competitions.
The Partenopei first lost 3-0 away to Atalanta in Serie A after a succession of individual errors were punished by former Azzurri forward German Denis and Maxi Moralez in a poor performance.
Napoli then fell to a narrow 3-2 defeat at Roma in an entertaining first leg of the Coppa Italia semi-final. The Vesuviani showed signs of improvement after recovering from being two goals down in the first-half, but ultimately suffered a second straight defeat after Gervinho’s late winner.
Following Sunday’s heavy loss at the Stadio Atleti Azzurri d’Italia, head coach Rafa Benitez has come in for criticism from four former Napoli coaches in the form of Gianni Di Marzio, Angelo Sormani, Renzo Ulivieri and Franco Colomba. Although the most scathing attack on the Spanish tactician came from journalist and well-known Italian television personality Ivan Zazzaroni, who claimed that he does not think that the Benitez will be at the club beyond the end of the season amid rumours that there have been a series of disagreements with club president Aurelio De Laurentiis.
Benitez has also been forced to defend several of his recent actions, most notably the logic to rotate at Atalanta and the decision to omit the highly-rated January signing Jorginho from the Europa League squad, but perhaps another question that he has to answer is why club captain Paolo Cannavaro was allowed to leave on loan for Sassuolo until the end of the season?
The 32-year-old Neapolitan had been a permanent fixture for his hometown side following his return from Parma in 2006 and is the club’s sixth highest appearance holder. However, with the arrival of Benitez last summer and the switch from a three to four-man defence, Canna reluctantly departed on transfer deadline day after it was made clear he was not part of the Spaniard’s plans.
Rumours have been rife in attempting to explain Cannavaro’s departure. One suggestion is that he had fallen foul of De Laurentiis after being blamed for Gonzalo Higuain’s infamous head injury after diving from a yacht and landing face-first on rocks off the coast of Capri. Another suggestion is that Cannavaro’s contract has a clause that if dropped he below fifteen appearances in a season his wages would have been cut by fifty per cent and that his departure was to save the club some money.
Whatever the reasons are behind his departure, many believe that the local hero has been treated unfairly.
For example, Marco Materazzi told Radio Crc in December that “Discrediting Paolo in such a short time didn’t seem right because he’s done a lot for Napoli.”
Meanwhile, Fabio Cannavaro also revealed his displeasure at the way his little brother has been treated through twitter following his departure for Sassuolo:
“All the best Paolino and compliments to those who made you feel like a stranger in YOUR OWN HOUSE!!!”
Paolo Cannavaro may not be considered as one of the best centre-backs in Serie A, but the Neapolitan possesses strong leadership qualities and has a passion for the Partenopei that is arguably needed in the current squad and particularly in defence.
The importance of good organisation and continuity at the back as a vital component for success is not forgotten by Partenopei legend Fernando De Napoli, who has drawn a clear distinction between the successful Napoli side of the 1980s and the current team.
In addition to obvious attacking talent, the Azzurri of the eighties was also built on a solid defensive foundation with players such as Ciro Ferrara, Moreno Ferrario and Giuseppe Bruscolotti providing a sense of continuity that can be considered to have been lost in the current context with the exit of the long-serving Cannavaro.
“For some months now I have thought that for Napoli to make the leap in quality and reach the level of Juventus, they need a leader,” De Napoli said on Radio Crc.
“I am not speaking of a new Diego Maradona, but a Giuseppe Bruscolotti. I thought Marek Hamsik could be the leader of the group, but the injury has affected him. Napoli needs a player that is heard in the negative moments, that can take the team by the hand.”
While it is questionable whether Paolo Cannavaro’s leadership qualities alone could have solved the Vesuviani’s current defensive worries, what is clear is that Napoli need to cut out further individual errors and build on an improved second-half performance in the 3-2 defeat to Roma heading into two highly-anticipated home games that could define Rafa Benitez’s first season in charge.
The Stadio San Paolo will first host AC Milan in Serie A on Saturday evening, before Roma’s arrival for the second leg of the Coppa Italia semi-final next Wednesday. After coming back from two goals down, the Partenopei are not out of the Coppa yet as away goals could prove crucial.
