Napoli limped out of the Champions League after an error-filled 3-1 defeat at Barcelona: here are three talking points by Stephen Kasiewicz.
The Partenopei failed to advance beyond the last 16 of the competition on a night to forget at Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys in Catalonia. Barça surged ahead through a quickfire brace from Fermin Lopez and Joao Cancelo as the La Liga side consistently exploited huge gaps in the Napoli defence.
Central defender Amir Rrahmani finished off a brilliant move to give Francesco Calzona’s team hope before the break.
Yet after an encouraging second-half spell, Barca eventually took control, as veteran Polish striker Robert Lewandowski struck a third late on to end the tie.
Here are three talking points from Napoli’s Champions League exit.
Two minutes of madness
Napoli’s Champions League ambitions all but ended in a ruinous spell of 120 seconds.
Overwhelmed on the flanks and wide open in the middle Barcelona plundered two goals on 15 and 17 minutes as the link between the Partenopei rearguard and midfield completely disintegrated.
Defensive calamities were common as the Campania club faltered under previous coaches Rudi Garcia and Walter Mazzarri.
President Aurelio De Laurentiis attempted to stop the rot with the appointment of Calzona yet it looked as if nothing had changed as Napoli capitulated again on the big stage.
Although Rrahmani’s excellent strike provided a glimmer of positivity the Gli Azzurri collapsed as Barca burst through the lines at will after Napoli began the second period purposefully. Despite the onslaught, substitute Jesper Lindstrom failed to convert a huge chance to equalise just before Lewandowski netted Barca’s third.
Napoli made history by qualifying for the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time last season. Now there is the distinct possibility they won’t clinch a place in the revamped version of Europe’s top competition next term. As if things weren’t bad enough the loss also ensured that Napoli missed out on a place in the 2025 World Club Cup.
Star duo lack sparkle
Neither attacker Victor Osimhen nor winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia dazzled when Napoli needed them most.
Osimhen registered just a single shot in what was probably his final Champions League game in a Napoli shirt, while Kvaratskhelia went close twice on a disappointing evening for the scintillating forward tandem.
While it would be unfair to question the application of the stellar pair neither of them could provide any kind of magical spark to ignite the Partenopei in yet another dispiriting chapter of a dismal campaign.
Osimhen had a legitimate claim for a penalty ignored after Barcelona teenage defender Pau Cubarsi made contact with the Nigerian striker’s foot early in the second period.
Yet the 25-year-old was starved of supply as in-form Kvaratskhelia couldn’t reproduce his excellent recent Serie A form.
Osimhen will almost certainly depart Napoli when the season ends, while the ever-present President De Laurentiis suggested he would also sell Kvaratskhelia if the club received a high enough bid. Regardless, it was an undignified end for the Partenopei partnership in Europe’s premier club tournament.
The case for a new defence
It’s no secret that a major backline overhaul is required as a youthful Barca side speedily outmanoeuvred the one-paced Napoli defence.
The Partenopei back four were static observers as the home side repeatedly weaved and slalomed a path towards Alex Meret’s goal, particularly in a worrying opening half.
All of the Napoli outfield defensive starters were 30 years old and over, as Calzona resisted the urge to give Natan, 23, and Leo Ostigard, 24, any playing time. Whether the relatively young pair would have been able to do anything to stem the tide is another question entirely.
Rrahmani scored a superb goal on a rare forward advance and while Giovanni Di Lorenzo and Mario Rui were both intermittent offensive threats, a lack of rearguard mobility again proved Napoli’s downfall.
There is a legitimate argument that President De Laurentiis needs to spend money on at least two new central defenders in the summer—and not cut price bargains for unknowns. Napoli will not progress quickly if they stick with the same defence next term.