Rudi Garcia navigated Napoli past Braga in a tricky Champions League opener in Portugal – yet it wasn’t enough to silence a growing contingent of detractors that question the tactics and approach of the French coach, writes Stephen Kasiewicz.
Derided for his team selection, an unimaginative game plan and substitutions amongst a litany of other charges Garcia still has to win over the Partenopei’s Tifosi.
Whether the overload of criticism is justified doesn’t alter the fact that Napoli have only lost one game since the beginning of a transitory season.
They fashioned enough opportunities to thrash Braga in the Champions League on Wednesday as Victor Osimhen shone on a topsy-turvy night at the Municipal Stadium. The prolific Nigerian has already struck three goals in Serie A yet was extremely unfortunate as he rattled the bar and was denied on more than one occasion by Braga goalkeeper Matheus.
Ultra-reliable captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo netted close to half-time before poor defending let Bruma equalise on a sodden night in the north of Portugal. An own goal from Sikou Niakate handed Napoli victory as they withstood a late Braga onslaught.
While it wasn’t always convincing, the Partenopei were the only Italian side to register a victory in the opening round of Champions League ties.
Whoever replaced Luciano Spalletti was bound to be burdened with unfair comparisons regardless of results. Perhaps the most noticeable difference under Garcia is the overreliance on Osimhen with the superstar striker expected to perform miracles with every long ball punted into his path.
Spalletti famously talked about the importance of capitalising on open spaces as Napoli stylishly sauntered to a historic third league title and reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League last term.
Under Garcia, an alarming number of gaps have opened up between the defensive and midfield lines, especially in a worrying second-half collapse in the home defeat against Lazio.
Genoa and Braga also found far too many free spots as the usually reliable Stanislav Lobotka and Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa made uncharacteristic errors in the middle of the park. Neither should shoulder all of the blame though.
The glaring gap left by the departure of South Korean giant Kim Min-jae in the centre of defence remains. Summer addition Natan finally made his debut as Napoli reverted to a back five late on to protect their lead in northern Portugal without the influential Amir Rrahmani.
The Kosovan international was forced off with a thigh strain as Juan Jesus and Leo Ostigard – who started together at Genoa – again formed a makeshift central defensive partnership. It’s time for Natan to finally get his opportunity as Napoli take on Bologna and Udinese in quick succession. We’ll never know if the 22-year-old Brazilian can make the grade unless he actually plays, despite Garcia’s flimsy reservations about adapting to the culture and language in Italy.
While right-sided winger Matteo Politano has already scored twice, including a stunning leveller at Genoa, on the opposite flank Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is not showing signs of the magic which entranced Napoli supporters as they charged to the Scudetto in the previous campaign.
As uninformed dissenters continue to mouth off that the Georgian hasn’t registered a goal since March the 22-year-old is still edging closer to full fitness.
It’s ludicrous to write off the man nicknamed ‘Kvaradona’ after just four appearances – none of which lasted 90 minutes. While he was understandably frustrated after being substituted as Napoli chased a late winner at Genoa there have been flickering moments of brilliance from the wing magician.
Garcia must coax the best out of Kvaratskhelia without weighing him down with the responsibility of carrying Napoli on his own as he faces a barrage of double and triple teams. Osimhen also needs far better service to fire the Neapolitan club closer to the league leaders. He was mightily unlucky on a dramatic night in Braga.
The high-powered strike duo can’t do it all alone.
A more compact strategy when out of possession will restrict the room which opponents have gleefully exploited in the early few games. Despite a shaky beginning, the Partenopei have earned only one point fewer in the standings than at the same stage last season. The French tactician will probably never completely convince the doubters.
While it’s unfeasible that Napoli will emulate the quick tempo fluidity of the glorious championship triumph, they still possess enough to contend at the Serie A summit and with the best in Europe. For all his supposed flaws it’s too soon to deem Garcia a failure just yet.
@SKasiewicz
Napoli is the ONLY Italian team to have won in the Champions League this match day. Criticize Inter, Milan, and Lazio.