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Gonzalo Higuain’s goal was the only thing that separated Napoli and Juventus when they met in Naples last night as the title holders ran out 1-0 winners.
Napoli dominated the possession, but Higuain’s goal against his former club, which he still celebrated ferociously, was to be the only goal of the game. Before the game Napoli were undefeated, but Juventus were able to end that record whilst they also aided their title hopes, gaining ground on the league leaders.
Here were five talking points from last night’s game:
#5 Napoli won't find it easy replacing Faouzi Ghoulam
Faouzi Ghoulam looks like he will not sign a new contract this summer, and could even sign a pre-contract with a new club this January.
This leaves a dilemma for Napoli, as the Algerian is so crucial to the way the team from Naples play. The dilemma has been made explicitly clear in recent weeks, where Napoli have been forced to play without him due to injury.
And today, not having Ghoulam at left-back arguably cost them. Although it wasn’t strictly Marco Rui’s fault, as Kalidou Koulibaly was ball watching, he could have shuffled inside and stopped Higuain. Instead, he allowed the Argentinian to score the decisive goal of the match, putting a dent in Napoli’s confidence.
Furthermore, playing Rui in recent weeks, after Ghoulam got injured in Napoli’s Champions League home tie with Manchester City, has clearly had an impact. Immediately after his substitution due to injury against City, Napoli would go on to suffer defeat in the second half.
Moreover, in matches against Chievo and Udinese and Juventus last night, they have looked uninspiring, struggling to offer the width they usually do on the left side, with Ghoulam often makings runs either inside with the ball or off the ball outside Lorenzo Insigne.
It may be worthwhile for Napoli to look for a new left back in January, with the clear effect losing Ghoulam has already had on their side. Otherwise, they definitely need to replace the Algerian with an adequate replacement this summer.
#4 Higuain has the last laugh
Playing his former club, it was Higuain who would have the last laugh as Juventus crept back up the Serie A table.
When the Argentinian left Napoli to join Juventus in summer 2016, he thanked the fans and the club, but said the reason he left was because of his relationship with Aurelio De Laurentiis, Napoli’s club president.
When he first joined Juventus he said: "It was my decision to leave, but it was [De Laurentiis] who pushed me into making it. I'd like to thank the fans and my teammates, but not De Laurentiis. I no longer had a relationship with him; I couldn't stand another minute with him."
In other games at the San Paolo, Higuain has looked nervous and shy due to him having to return to a club he once loved. However, last night the 29-year-old looked more than up for the fight, and scored the goal that threw the title race wide open in Italy.
More importantly, before the game, De Laurentiis’ son was quoted as saying: “I hope Higuain plays so we can give him a smashing.” The Argentinian made De Laurentiis Jr eat his words with his goal, as he celebrated looking for the Napoli president.
Although Higuain would have been reluctant to react and celebrate in front of a fan base that once loved him, he could not resist taking a sly dig at the Gli Azzurri's president, who forced him out the door in Naples, and it would be he who would have the last laugh.
#3 Napoli’s front line lacking creativity
As mentioned previously, Napoli have not looked as good in recent weeks, partly due to the loss of Ghoulam at left-back. Yet this is not the only reason for their struggles, as their front line is also struggling for creativity.
When in form, Insigne, Dries Mertens and Jose Callejon are a frightening trio, not to mention the attacking ability of Marek Hamsik, Jorginho and Allan in midfield. But recently, they just haven’t been up to standard.
Away from home against Chievo, where they would have been expected to comfortably win, they failed to even score. What makes this even more noticeable was they had scored three or more goals against every opposition apart from Roma and Inter Milan in the league beforehand, meaning they were clearly lacking conviction against Chievo.
They did then beat AC Milan at home, but they were a team out of sorts, and just a single goal (a rebound from the penalty spot) separated the Napoli and Udinese.
Napoli aren’t expected to blow away every side they play, but in recent weeks, especially today against reigning champions Juventus, they struggled to break down their opponents.
It may just be a blip, but they will need the front line of Insigne, Mertens and Callejon to be firing again soon if they are to re-ignite the form from their sensational run of games up until yesterday.
#2 Defence comes first
Although Napoli’s playing style and goal scoring ability have been highly praised this year, Juventus should be commended for their defending yesterday night in their win against Napoli.
Since losing Leonardo Bonucci, the Juventus back line has not been the same. Benatia has now become a regular starter for the Italian champions but doesn’t quite have the same commanding defensive abilities that Bonucci had.
As well as that, losing the Italian meant they suffered in playing the ball out from the back, something that was likely to be emphasised against Napoli, with their high press.
There were moments where they nearly lost the ball as Napoli pressed them in dangerous areas, but the Juventus back four stood up to the task. They were resilient, along with the midfield three, and worked hard for every second of the 90 minutes to avoid affording the Gli Azzurri any chances.
Given Napoli’s devastating front line, it was incredible they managed to keep a clean sheet and beat the team in Naples. With this win, it meant that Juventus were the first side to beat Napoli at the San Paolo since Atlanta beat them in February and it’s the first clean sheet Juventus have kept at the San Paolo since 1997.
It was a day where defending, rather than attacking, was the winner, a rare sight in the modern game.
#1 Do Napoli have what it takes to win the Scudetto?
Up until yesterday, Napoli looked unstoppable, but this result is likely to shatter their confidence, at least for the meantime.
They remain top of Serie A for now, but with a win, Inter could take the top spot, and tough games such as Fiorentina, Torino and Sampdoria await for Napoli in their next three league games.
They are going to face less tough opponents for the most part of the season than Juventus, and one result does not define how they will move forward. But, this was an important game, and a win could have sent a message out to the people doubting the Gli Azzurri, showing them they have what it takes to win the title.
A 0-0 would have sufficed against such a strong Juventus team. The momentum would have continued, and the unbeaten streak would have remained intact. But, a lapse in concentration, which you can’t afford to have against Juventus with their quality, and Napoli lost the most crucial match of their season so far.
For the Gli Azzurri, there is no need for them to worry, losing this game has not cost them the title, and they could still win the Scudetto come the end of the season. However, losing to Juventus by a single goal, not scoring a goal and Higuain having scored the winner is likely to have slashed the confidence of the Napoli team.
