Inter – Napoli Preview
By: Johonna | November 29th, 2008
What: Inter v Napoli
When: Sunday, Nov 30, 3pm local time (6am pacific, 9am eastern)
Where: Sand Siro, Milan
Referee: Roberto Rosetti
How to Watch: Broadcast on Fox Soccer Channel or streaming here or here.
Alright, now is the time to shake off last week’s defeat with a big win against Napoli. More than anything, Inter need to pull thier collective head out of their ass and take Napoli seriously becuase if we dont, if we try to float by like we did with Panathinaikos, Napoli will make us pay. Dont get me wrong, I think we can win this game and win it handily, but only if a focused, hungry Inter show up on the pitch. Mou agrees:
I will say something I am very sure of: we play our third game in a week and go into it after a Champions League match, but I am convinced we can get back to the results we want if we have a completely different focus and attitude than on Wednesday.
Here is what happened last time Napoli came to the San Siro:
THEM
Napoli is a team just chucky-jam-full of young, talented players. Lavezzi is quickly shaping up to be one of the best. Give him a few years and I think people will be saying “Messi who?” Then there is Hamsik. He is quick and very comfortable in front of the goal. Take your eyes off of him for a minute in your own half and he will be picking the ball out of the back of the net. At the rear, there is Santacroce – he may not be quite ready to play with the big boys, but he is not far off.
Reja has called up 19 players:
Iezzo, Navarro, Aronica, Cannavaro, Rinaudo, Santacroce,Vitale, Blasi, Bogliacino, Gargano, Hamsik, Maggio, Mannini, Montervino, Pazienza, Denis, Lavezzi, Russotto, Zalayeta.
For possible line-ups and a look at the game from a Napoli point of view, check out Neil’s blog over at the Napoli board.
US
Mou has called up 21 players:
Goalkeepers: Julio Cesar, Orlandoni, Belec.
Defenders: Cordoba, Burdisso, Maxwell, Maicon, Samuel, Santon.
Midfielders: Zanetti, Stankovic, Figo, Jimenez, Cambiasso, Muntari, Mancini.
Strikers: Ibrahimovic, Cruz, Adriano, Crespo, Obinna.
Toldo has sprained his right ankle so is not available. Joining him on the injured list is Chivu, Rivas, and Vieira.
The line-up will likely go very much like it did against Juve:
JC
Maxwell Samuel Cordoba Maicon
Muntari Cambiasso Zanetti
Stankovic
Ibra Adriano
I think that the Pana game showed that Figo is not quite ready to start. I think he should be subbed in for a few games until he regains match fitness. Jimenez is back on the call-up list, though I am not sure where he fits into Mou’s current 4-3-1-2. Perhaps with Figo and Jimenez back we may be looking at an eventual return to 4-3-3.
For those that like them, here are some statistics ahead of the game.
Clearly, Samuel and Cordoba will need to keep their eyes on Hamsik and Ibra needs to work on increasing his goal to shot ratio.
True, Napoli will be a challenge, but for all of their talent, they are a young team with a tendency to stumble away from home. Inter are a team that should be able to take full advantage of any openings Napoli may give – at least I hope they are. We have to assume that Milan will win and Juve already have, so, if we want to keep pace, we must win. For my part, I would very much like to see a 3-0 win tomorrow. We are capable, we just need to keep our heads together and stay organized.
FORZA INTER
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Comments
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“Besides, it is a well-known fact that the calcio gods will punish hubris every single time.”
Amen.
Posted from
United States
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if you’ve never seen Rosetti have a bad game, you must not have watched this afternoon.
That is correct.
Posted from
United States -
Paolo | November 30th, 2008 at 9:33 am
MAD, people make up stroies and try to discredit Inter all the time. I don’t know what it is. They need to get over the fact that Inter are the strongest side in Serie A.
Their excuses and fairy tales are pathetic!Please Paolo, get over the crazy conspiracy shit
Posted from
Australia -
Just for fun, here are two predictions made on the Milan website.
The first is their prediction of our game against Napoli:
“Inter-Napoli 1:2″
The second is their prediction of their game against Palermo:
“5-0 for Milan!”
This is my feeling regarding not just our relative success, but also a nice jolt of reality (and blessed irony, without which I would find this life a tedious, sleepy thing indeed…) for those who like brag to each other how smart they are:MAD, the peeps on the milan blog are unfortunately way too arrogant and snooty. The reality is our Milan side has won just 1 scudetto in the last 8 (soon to be 9) years. What a disgrace…
I wouldnt be uspset is the milan teams traded coaches, strikers and maybe even a few fans (dont give us Paolo tho, he is loopy)
Posted from
Australia -
Wooooooooooow, and you call yourself rossonero?
Posted from
United States -
Johonna, I have to say that I disagree with the way you interpret soccer.
In my understanding, Ibra did not have a bad game today. He worked for the team more than I have seen him work all season (I have watched every game but three this year).
Three examples I will point to:
1) First half counter-attacking opportunity, Ibra releases Maicon. Defender Rinaudo (who is a great player, more skilled than Materazzi and just as dirty–something that is good for a defender, unfortunately) crunches Maicon who stays down, and… IBRA DROPS BACK TO RIGHT BACK! HE HAS NEVER, EVER, EVER, EVER (A MILLION TIMES OVER) DONE THAT! Point to me another instance in his Inter career where he has covered for one of our many overlapping fullbacks.
2) Early in the 2nd half, Napoli wins a free kick from a dangerous position (Maxwell’s foul on Lavezzi). Who should appear in the 6 yard box to head clear? IBRA! Again, it is very rare that he tracks back on set peices, much less makes the effort to win them. This was the culmination of the 5 or so minutes that Napoli had us on our toes during the second half, and if the freekick had come to anything (not even a goal, a half chance) this game might have been much, much different. You yourself pointed to the absence of Matterazzi as a reason to be afraid during this game (I must also disagree with you there, Juve game aside, Marco has looked a spent force since his injury last year, although this season has shown small improvements) and Ibra defended magnificently on this instance, clearing well.
3) Late in the game, we lose posession and Ibra chases and makes a slide tackle. In the 80th+ minute. This is the play that released Adriano. If it had been the old Adri, he would have scored, but it was great to see Ibra doing this kind of dirty work.
Did he score any “Ibracadabra” goals? No. But it is unrealistic to expect this of him every week, and foolish to reduce him to the kind of player that doesn’t contribute anything if he doesn’t do this. He held the ball up well on numerous occasions, and was clearly interested in playing for the team, something that hasn’t always been apparent, particularly under Mancini but even a few times this season. If he can continue to do the ‘dirty work’ we might see a return to an effective 4-3-3, because any time a team plays with one up front, their success depends on two things:
1) the workrate of the striker
2) his ability to hold the ball upThe best examples I can think of are Drogba during Mourinho’s peak at Chelsea and Van Nistelrooy this summer for Holland. Everyone spoke of the attacking midfielders on both of these teams, but many of the goals came from the forwards providing a ‘platform’ for the rest of the squad to work off. If Ibra can adapt somewhat to this type of role (and when I say adapt, I mean actually do some work, but he also needs to maintain some energy because there isn’t another player like him in the world, much less on our squad going forward) then we have many more options tactically. The best way to ensure this is to give him a break. Hopefully Mourinho rests him for at least two, if not three of our games going into the break. That would give Balotelli and Adriano a chance to gain some confidence going into the second half of the champions league campaign, when we will surely need both of them at some point.
On another note, whoever compared Muntari to a chimpanzee did so in bad taste, and misguidedly. He is a great player, and pointing to his intensity as a weakness is surely (at best) a misjudegement. Is that also a weakness of Maicon, Stankovic and Matterazzi who also have a tendency to become ‘exuberant’ on the field? No! It is what makes them great players.
Sorry for the rant, but today’s game had me so excited. We have dismissed three main rivals comprehensively recently, and right now I see the Milan game as our only black spot this season. Given that most of our European rivals had their best players on international duty this summer I am sure we’ll see tired legs come this spring (much like we saw with us last spring due to the Copa). Inter have to be at least co-favorites (with United + Barca) if not outright favorites. Mourinho finally has the team looking like “his” team, and our recent victories show this. Samuel’s return has also been priceless, and I can’t wait until his name is on our CL squad list. Additionally, I am very enthusiastic about Jimenez’s return, because central midfield is the one place I am worried about the wheel’s coming off early, we are just so old there. That’s why I was worried about losing Pele, especially for such a mercurial player like Quaresma. Hopefully RQ can figure it out.
anyways, Forza Inter!
Posted from
United States -
Patcook, how does what I said insinuate that I believe there is a conspiracy? The articles have been written. Inter this, Inter that blah blah blah. Christ, they even re-wrote a table last year. I never said it was a conspiracy. It just is what it is. I couldn’t careless what is written or said about them. Its a free world, but when what is written is so far out of left field I will point it out. Such as this year’s “Inter is nothing without Ibra” rant.
And for the record I would never ever consider, not for a half second, supporting Milan. Everytime your players hit the pitch I hope for monumental disaster. Just like what happened in Palermo today!
Posted from
United States -
Obvioulsy I don’t always get my wish but when Milan loses (In any competition they play in) I am just as happy as when Inter wins. Yes, I hate Milan that much.
Posted from
United States -
I love Ibra, but he didn’t play well today. Too many loose balls and flicks that didn’t come off. He wasn’t terrible, but a player with his ability should be held to a higher standard. He may be tired as he’s played every game this season and I can’t remember him even being subbed.
We played excellent attacking football in the first half. In the second we were less fluid but our strength and experience got us the result. 6 points clear!!!
Forza Inter!!!!
Posted from
United States -
Paolo, I just meant to point out as that you seem to think its something new or unique that everyone takes pot shots at teams that are on top. Inter used to do it to everyone else while they were losing. Its only because your winning, if you go back to the pre-Calciopoli form where you only win a coppa italia and uefa cup every now and again, nobody will care.
Posted from
Australia -
I think that most of us here realize that Ibra level of play is up here ^ (something pointing up to the ceiling). And when he has a “bad” game, that is, when he doesn’t score or set anyone else up, as he may have had today, his level was here – (midlevel), with the rest of the calcio mortals. It’s still a good game for most people but for Ibra, average is meh.
I can understand loving Milan the city and rooting for both teams. But I can’t do it.
I love Italy and in competitions against those outside the peninsula I can root for any Italian team, including Milan. But in the championship, I just can’t. The fights with my father, the Milan Martyr, just go too deep.
Btw, how great a sports week have I had? My Cowboys won on Thanksgiving. My Inter won this morning. And we finally earn back those 3 points we lost to Milan back in the derby.
I can clean the basement with a smile on my face
Posted from
United States -
patcook, I’ll gladly suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune if it means 6 points clear of Milan and Juventus in fixture 14.
I’ll take a double heaping if it means Scudetto no. 17.
Besides, I just like making fun of them.
Posted from
United States -
B-52. I agree that Ibra has been working much harder this season than he has ever worked before. He is tracking back and getting the ball in the midfield, helping to defend… I agree with you completely.
My comment about Ibra not having the best game simply meant that he had a few misplaced passes, his positioning was clearly not up to his high standards, and he just seemed all around out of sorts. He is still outstanding, just not spectacular.
Also, there has been much in the press about how Inter rely too heavily on Ibra and that all our success is due soley to him. I dont think that is true. He is wonderful and dreamy and great on the pitch, but we have a great squad where every player is important.
I think Marco had a great game against both Anorthosis and Juve. He may not ever be back to his pre-injury days, but he is a far cry better than the end of last season.
I absolutely agree with you about Muntari. I think he is a great addition to the team and I hope he sticks around for a while. He is passionate and I like that in a player. (on a side note, boy was he cranky to come off today for Jimenez – even if it was in the 88th minute)
Jimenez could be just what we are looking for in midfield. I have high hopes for both him and Quaresma. I think both just need play time.
And please, your rants are always welcome here. Intelligent discussion is what I love about this board. Rant away
Posted from
United States -
You know, I was just peeking ahead, and I only see good things happening for us on dec 14.
Posted from
United States -
Patcook, Mourinho would never go to Milan. He could not tolerate Berlusconi’s endless meddling.
Posted from
United States -
MAD, I have similar thoughts to you on supporting the other side of Milan. I hate inter and i hope they collapse in a heap and milan soldier past them. But I hate Juve about as much if not more and would prefer a milan team to take it out than a Turin one. And I would also suffer the slings and arrows if it meant milan was on top. Its a bit insufferable when their playing poorly though. Oh well, thick as thieves you gotta be I guess…
Johanna, u’re right, Mourinho would never come to Milan, tho Berlusconis been a little less interventionist of late. Still, Ive been a fan of Mou since watching them beat Celtic in the UEFA Cup final in 2003 (lost a few bets that nite, was rooting for the scots) and would love to see him at Milan.
Posted from
Australia -
You know, Pat, I absolutely agree. If I must choose between Milan and Juve, it is Milan every time.
Also, as I said over on the Milan board, I was shocked by Milan’s performance today. Not that I dont think that Palermo is more than able to beat Milan, only that Milan did not put up more of a fight. The only time they really tried was in those last 10 minutes.
So, is Milan going to take out Juve week after next?
Posted from
United States -
Gosh, choosing between Milan and juventus…
“Milan Hate” for me is a very personal thing. “Juve Hate” is more of an abstraction, which in many ways is worse. I can always slake my Milan Hate thirst by slagging the team to my father. Juve Hate has little physical outlet… I can’t take my peevishness out on anyone verbally to take the edge off.
But I think that any rooting for either Milan or Juve has to go through the “What’s the best outcome for Inter” filter. Otherwise the outcome doesn’t really bother me, I can just watch the match.
Posted from
United States -
Johanna, I hate to say it, but milan will probably get beaten quite soundly by juve. I hope they ignore bad form and wake up for the match like they did against Lazio and Inter earlier in the season.
MAD, What if the outcome doesn’t matter?
Posted from
Australia -
Well, I don’t really have a problem just watching a match, without rooting for someone.
I mean, just watching and enjoying a decent game without living and dying over every decision, every kick and every meaningless configuration is nice too.
Especially if thick turkey, lettuce, tomatoes, onions and cheese sandwiches slathered with oil and vinegar and tea are also available.
… perhaps a dog giving me the stink-eye to share a bit of sandwich as she lays across my feet keeping me warm…
ah sundays…
Posted from
United States -
Mourinho Dice “No”
On the Balotelli front, Sky Sports is reporting that Mourinho has said that Balotelli will not go out on loan come January:
“In January, he will absolutely remain here. He must only think of training himself in a good way. He must work more. This is also a responsibility of mine. We must work together and better. He’s really young, he has big professionals in front of him and, from a person who is nothing yet, I can’t accept he works less than them. He must work more.”
The Great and Powerful Mou has spoken!
Posted from
United States -
B-52 provides an excellent defence of the positive aspects of Ibra’s performance yesterday (the tackle near the end was extraordinary), but the fact remains that they didn’t outweigh the failings that Johanna notes. Thus La Gazzetta’s mark of 5.5 for the match.
It was one of those days where he seemed to have communication problems with the other members of the attack and consistently tried for the spectactular/creative when simpler options were available (and with very little success). He also was quite obvious in his disdain for his teammates’ failure to get him the ball where he wanted it, which is unfortunately often the case when he isn’t creating (and converting) chances.
The last two traits (which are very much a part of his personality) have always driven the home crowd bananas, and yesterday afternoon was one of those days when he was being barracked by a signifincant number of the people who sit near us, while there was a lot of sighing from just about everyone.
BTW, Rosetti got a 4.5 from La Gazzetta, who were only glad that his numerous mistakes didn’t effect the result.
Posted from
Italy -
I have to agree that sometimes Ibra’s frustration is a detriment to his game. At home it can be frustrating, too, but I am willing to put up with it because I think that he’s also putting much more of an effort this season than he did last season. And he’s crazy talented…
Speaking of crazy, I suggest perusing the mercato rumors lately. The one that leaves me scratching my head, is that Juventus and Fiorentina are preparing a swap of Iaquinta and a full back whose name escapes me. Despite the feelings inherent between these two, this is just an unbalanced trade.
Also, I think Milan were dumb to leave a buyout clause for Gourcuff. I can’t see Bordeaux letting him go at this point… and Milan really could use him right now.
Posted from
United States -
Iaquinta isn’t leaving.
If we dump Zebina, Andrade, and Almiron, well, that’s one hell of a mercato success for me.
Posted from
United States -
Ibra was tired. He’ll take it easy this week and be 100% for Lazio. Mou should rest him for the cl because we could still get a tough opponent like Madrid, Lyon, Man U, Villareal or Chelsea even if we’re first in the group. It would be nice to have the second leg at home though.
Posted from
United States
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