Thread by @EBL2017

Luciano Spalletti has awoken a sleeping giant in Naples. Napoli are back, and the 4-3-3 represents the beautiful football associated with their great club.

Spalletti has he implemented it perfectly with Osimhen, Kvaradona, and Kim Min-jae the stars of the show 🔵⚪️

MEGA-THREAD!

Spalletti's Napoli place a heavy emphasis on short passing across the park. Their tiki-taka style is outstanding.

Kim Min-jae is the technical leader in defence and is a special talent with qualities that are directly translatable to the absolute highest level of the sport.

He plays at left-centre back and has replaced Koulibaly with ease. He's two-footed, has the passing angles of a left-footer at centre-back and regularly uses them effectively even though he's predominantly right-footed, has the ideal balance of circulatory & progressive passing..

And don't get me started on his defensive qualities.

Kim won 73% of his ground duels over the last calendar year which is on par with the likes of Lisandro Martinez, William Saliba, and Virgil van Dijk but he's also won 65% of his aerial duels which is abnormal for his height.

Elite defenders of a similar height at 6'2 or there or thereabouts typically win about 60% of their aerial duels (Rúben Dias, Matthijs de Ligt, Gabriel Magalhães), and although the difference in league style/quality may be a differentiating factor in favour of Kim, it's still 🔝

What makes Kim so good defensively is how he uses his mobile but physically robust frame. He rarely dives into tackles, a common trait of elite-level centre backs.

His temperament compliments his physical & technical qualities optimally making him a technical & defensive leader.

Napoli wouldn't be half as good as they are without Kim because of A) his sensational quality and B) the lack of quality in defence outside of him. Di Lorenzo, Rrahmani, Ostigard, & Mário Rui are all solid players but none of them possess outstanding quality.

They're led by Kim.

Kim's presence and quality has meant the transition post-Koulibaly has been seamless, and he enables Napoli to play their technical game further up the pitch - the midfield 3 are all 2nd-phase based technicians.

Lobotka, Anguissa, and Ndombele in particular excel in this regard.

Lobotka is most similar to Verratti in style and stature at 5'5 and has always been a pass-heavy #6 with a phenomenal turning radius and natural feel for the game.

He has done an incredible job of replacing Jorginho as the regista of the team, and for a third of the price.

Ndombele and Anguissa have also revived their careers at the elite level where they've had trouble 'fitting in' in the past at Spurs and Fulham, respectively.

Both have always been uniquely press resistance with the ability to control games, but they're doing that reliably now.

Spalletti in particular deserves massive credit for that because quality has never been an issue for Ndombele and Anguissa, whereas attitude has.

Both of them failed in the PL because of that but Spaletti has created an environment and style of play that suits the pair to a tee.

Spalletti signed Anguissa & Ndombele for good reason, & it's because he wants his midfield to consist of pass-heavy and press resistant profiles, almost like how Real Madrid play with natural #8's in midfield (Kroos, Modrić) as opposed to #10's like we often see (Ødegaard, KDB).

The conservative #8's connect play in central and wide areas. There's a heavy emphasis on short passing and combinations across the park, and Napoli's triangle on each flank (Rui/Zieliński/Kvaratskhelia & Di Lorenzo/Anguissa/Politano) is their primary method of chance creation.

Zieliński, on the other hand, is a less technical #8 but he's the engine in the midfield. He often makes runs in behind the last line of defence whilst also being dynamic in his combination play, and that combination centered approach is the entire focus of Spaletti's system.

Napoli's wide triangles rotate within rigid zones but do so fluidly. A circulatory option, the wing, and the half space between the lines is *ALWAYS* occupied.

That fluid rigidity enables the optimal balance of A) repeatability & B) unpredictability.

So many of their goals are scored from the same methods of chance creation over and over again - a half space cross, an overlap, combination play before cutting inside to shoot, a cutback.. it's all systematic and subsequently reliable methods of chance creation & scoring goals.

Kvaratskhelia, Kvara, or Kvaradona (however you want to call him) has been the main creative hub in Napoli's attack this season, and he's a special player.

He's 21, has more goal contributions than games played in the Serie A, and he cost only €10 million just a few months ago.

Kvaradona is relentless in his pursuit of beating his man in 1v1's, can beat them on the inside or the outside, can strike through the ball on either foot, profiles like a creative #10 except with 1v1 qualities, is an outlet, a mental giant..

It was the steal of the summer.

The focal point of the attack, though, is none other than Victor Osimhen who is one of the most physically gifted #9's I've ever seen.

He's a focal point in the box, has underrated link play, an unwavering mindset, lightening speed, & is an elite outlet.

Napoli may average the most possession in the Serie A but they also excel in transition-based games due to Osimhen's absurd physical qualities.

His presence in the #9 in tandem with Kvara's ball-carrying makes them a top transitional duo.

Both players have the ability to spring their team from defence to attack in an instant whilst also helping their team create chances through aggressive pressing with Osimhen in particular being a uniquely special presser due to his speed, long strides, and relentless work ethic.

Spalletti's pressing structure is similar to that of Erik ten Hag's at Manchester United. The block fluctuates between a 4-4-1-1 when Zieliński pushes high alongside Osimhen and a 4-3-3 when he's deeper in midfield.

They try to create man-to-man situations on the sides.

Spalletti does this by enticing the opposition to pass wide before the block matches up on that side of the pitch and the far side winger inverts to press the far side centre back leaving the only free player in the build-up being the far side fullback.

See below for a real time example. Politano, Napoli's right winger, is tasked with covering the ball-side centre back should play be recycled to him but he has to judge, depending on where the ball is, which player to press.

When the ball is far side, he presses the centre back.

When the ball is near side, he presses the fullback.

This pressing structure is good when Napoli successfully push the opposition wide and man-to-man mark on the sides and the inversion of the far side wide player is undeniably an effective one.

Napoli are also largely compact in defensive transition. They may not invert the fullbacks for off-ball purposes the way many of the elite coaches do nowadays, but the natural second-phase profile of Anguissa and Zieliński means Lobotka typically has a 2nd presence alongside him.

Not only that but their general attacking ethos is one that's conducive to counterpressing effectively within the initial breakdown of play in the final third.

They combine in close proximity in general so when possession is lost, they can quickly group together to press.

However, the pressing structure is *not* bulletproof.

If the opposition are technically proficient enough to find the far side fullback, they will, and it means that Napoli don't press as well as they possible could because there's a spare man.

Spalletti's press is undeniably effective, but it's not elite as it doesn't account for every possible situation, and this is where Napoli can lose control on games. They typically dominate the ball but the very top teams will exploit that and take possession away from them.

Now, this isn't to say that Napoli wouldn't beat a team like Arsenal or City, because they could. They have the exact same record as Arsenal results-wise in the league this season. It's an incredible achievement, and football isn't played on paper.

They have sensational quality.

Osimhen's presence alone in transition makes Napoli a threat in all phases of play but his presence alongside Kvaradona is a devastating combination. However, I have highlighted Napoli's "pressing" problems for a reason.

It's an area where they *can* be exploited.

An out-of-form Liverpool team pushed them back & averaged 54% of the ball against them at Anfield whilst winning 2-0.

City, for example, also lost at Anfield this season, so it's particularly harsh to cite that loss, but the manner in which Napoli lacked control was clear.

The potential for the opposition to play through their pressing structure often results in Napoli being involved in end-to-end games against technical teams, yet the optimal way to control games for possession-based teams is *with* the ball.

Top pressing is required to do that.

Napoli also struggle relative to "elite" player quality in certain areas.

As much as Kvaradona and Osimhen are special, Politano struggles to impact games & has produced mediocre output this season, & the likelihood is that won't change because he's a relatively limited profile.

Also, relative to their combination play, the structure itself and the general ethos is paramount to how Napoli play, and it's one that will likely result in them winning their first Scudetto in over 30 years, but it also lacks elite individual quality in key zones.

The reason Spalletti's Napoli have been so good is because of the COLLECTIVE, and less so because of their individual quality.

Guys like Di Lorenzo, Politano, Rui, and second phase profiles like Zieliński/Anguissa (less so these) aren't elite level players despite being useful.

Their structure enables them to control games with and without the ball and it plays into the strengths of each profile.

If you compare the collective of similar teams like City or Arsenal's combinations on the flanks, Napoli ain't close quality wise, but that's okay in Serie A.

They don't have the otherworldly budget of the giants in the Premier League, & that is an even bigger testament to the club & Spalletti's achievements.

They also have certain flaws in the team such as a lack of height in midfield to dominate duels, but they're tenacious as hell.

Touching on Napoli's flaws may seem like nitpicking, but they're a team that have accumulated 50 points in 19 games, just like Arsenal have. They need to be treated as an elite team because of that, irrespective of the difference in finances.

That's testament to the project!

All in all, despite minor flaws, it's clear Spalletti has built a special team.

Napoli play beautiful football relative to the culture and history of their unique club and that's thanks to his on *and* off ball tactics, player development, and recruitment in the transfer market.

Napoli simply don't have the riches the elites possess, but that's what makes their project all the more beautiful. They produce some of the most aesthetically pleasing but effective football in the world, and their first modern-day Scudetto is an inevitability now.

Rejoice 🔵⚪️