Napoli 3-0 Juventus: three headers from Cavani – or was it?
The starting line-ups
Edinson Cavani enjoyed the best night of his career as Napoli demolished Juventus.
Walter Mazzarri played his most common line-up this season – 3-4-2-1, with Gianluca Grava ahead of Salvatore Aronica the only talking point.
Gigi Delneri stuck to his favourite 4-4-2 shape, with Luca Toni making his debut alongside Amauri. There were six changes in all, with Milos Krasic coming back into the side on the right.
There can be a danger of paying too much attention to formations. ‘Formations’ is not the same as ‘tactics’ – there are various other factors to consider when assessing a side’s strategy.
This, however, was a good example of one formation getting the better of another in fairly simple terms. The base for Mazzarri’s preferred formation is a 3-4-2-1, but because of the unusual nature of the shape, he’s often forced to alter the system slightly – something he’s done very well so far this season.
Against a simple 4-4-2, though, the 3-4-2-1 works beautifully, and therefore Napoli were able to play their natural game, thoroughly outplaying Juventus as a result.
Defence
The three-man defence is unquestionably at its best when it faces a two-man strikeforce. The lack of sides playing two out-and-out strikers was partly a reason for the lack of three-man defences over the past five years or so, and it’s very rare to see a side playing with two prima puntr as Delneri did here. Three-man defences are generally vulnerable to movement and players drifting out wide, but (with Fabio Quagliarella injured and out for the rest of the season), Mazzarri will have been delighted to see Amauri and Toni wheeled out to provide an aerial threat, as Napoli had a spare man at the back.
Flanks
The Napoli wing-backs did their usual job – motoring forward to join the attack, but tracking Juventus’ wingers in the defensive phase of play. Krasic’s reluctance to put in a good defensive shift meant Andrea Dossena was constantly an outlet on the left.
Forwards
The three Napoli forwards were as fluid as ever, with Lavezzi moving between the left flank and a centre-forward role, pinning Zdenek Grygera back. Marek Hamsik played deeper and slightly more centrally, often up against Armand Traore but sometimes dropping into the midfield to create a 3 v 2 situation against Juventus’ central midfielders.
Midfield
The central midfield zone was 2 v 2, but Napoli’s duo had much more understanding and cohesion, and they simply outbattled Juventus’ pairing. Delneri prefers playing a ball playing midfielder alongside more of a scrapper (generally Alberto Aquilani and Felipe Melo, in something similar to the Pirlo-Gattuso combination that has served Milan and Italy well for so long), but here he had to field Aquilani alongside Claudio Marchisio, and that zone lacked fight and determination. On the other hand, Michele Pazienza and Walter Gargano have a good relationship, with Gargano moving forward and joining the attack more.
Goals
The three goals all came from crosses into the box, with the first two being provided by the wing-backs. In addition to poor tracking of those players, Juve were also guilty of not dealing with Cavani’s movement well enough. The Uruguayan’s runs inside the penalty box were superb, but equally Juventus had a spare man at the back and should have dealt better. Of course, both sides had a spare man in defence, but only one side tried to threaten the other with movement and switching of positions.
That said, Luca Toni battled well – he is still one of the best strikers around when it comes to physical challenges against multiple centre-backs – and had a goal ruled out. His debut was the only positive for Juve.
He was overshadowed by Cavani, though. The first two goals were excellent headers and the third might well have been as well – but there is some speculation that he missed the ball with his head, and instead put it in with his heel, this replay shows why. Replays remain inconclusive, but either way it was a superb hattrick from arguably the European signing of the season.
Conclusion
Napoli’s 3-4-2-1 is one of the most exciting systems around at the moment, and this was a perfect game to show it off. A spare man at the back, energetic wing-backs outrunning opposition wingers, and movement upfront causing the defence problems. 3-0 may have slightly flattered Napoli, but theiy executed their tactical plan superbly.
Napoli 3-0 Juventus: three headers from Cavani – or was it?
hopefully it was a backheel
if yes, it will be one of the PUSKAS award challanger
It WAS a backheel. Seen it in slow motion, goes behind his head and then smacks it in with his heel. Amazing!
Still not sure if he did it on purpose then.
For Toni, I can not see him do anything else than a perfect challenge that should have given Juve 1-1 at that point.
It was a header: http://i52.tinypic.com/2eajr43.gif
Toni smashed his hand into De Sanctis so it was a correct decision to disallow that goal.
Interesting that Hamsik played a little deeper and had one of his better games
Lovely stuff, Napoli are a fascinating team. Was interesting to hear Moratti’s comments about Cavani after the game – disappointment after scouting for so long now that he’s in form.
Napoli are definitely a good watch for the neutral at the moment. I missed most of this game, but I do enjoy Maggio and Dossena’s high-energy wingback roles and the interplay of the front three. Lavezzi is one of those players who always looks like they’re on the verge of creating yet another opportunity for their team. Hamsik does often give the impression that his opinion of his abilities eclipses his actual abilities, but he too can be a handful – when those shots from distance actually hit the target.
They certainly look the most convincing of Milan’s pursuers.
I think the replay is pretty conclusive that he backheel/calfs it in, its certainly not off his head anyway
Del neri probably played two prime punte (prima punti is not correct) with huge aerial abilities because napoli have always struggled to defend set pieces. Indeed Juventus biggest threats came from set pieces, and Toni scored a goal on a corner but it was disallowed.
Good post because it really brings out the difference between formations and tactics. Crucially however I think you’re wrong when you make the claim:
“This, however, was a good example of one formation getting the better of another in fairly simple terms”
This is because, as you acknowledge, formations are an aspect of tactics. Just as strength of squad, fitness and movement are.
So this game wasn’t a simple case of Napoli’s formation trumping Juventus’ simple 4-4-2. Imagine if Krasic and Pepe had managed to pin back Napoli’s wingbacks. And this is really the crux of it, in terms of formation. If Juve’s wingers gain the initiative then Napoli lack width. Both teams have a spare man at the back but crucially Napoli’s is a centre back whereas Juve’s can be a fullback, which would pose a more natural attacking threat.
Elsewhere you acknowledge that the battle in the centre was won by greater cohesion between Napoli’s pairing than Juve’s. This is not a matter of formation. If Juve’s win the battle then suddenly they look a lot stronger.
The difference was really in the way Juve’s midfield failed to control the game rather than a simple chalkboard analysis.
Finally, we might fairly comment that conceding all three goals to cross-header combinations – even more significantly to one player, suggests that with a simple technical correction Juventus could become less vulnerable to this kind of attack. This technical problem was not a result of formation.
Inverting the Pyramid: “formations are neutral”. This is the point.
Also, to make this more worthy of a comment: Cavani’s movement for the first goal is masterful. Note how he sees the opportunity, starts to go, then pulls back a little, holding his run until the ball comes in.
For any players out there, we explain it at academy level by saying that it is easier to run forwards than backwards. Holding a forward run allows you to assess the flight of the ball before deciding where to move.
Yeah, agree on that.
I loved Cavani’s movement on that first goal too. But it wasn’t just “holding his run.” Cavani completed fooled the defender marking him. The defender glances over his shoulder at Cavani as they both start towards the goal. But as soon as the defender looks back towards the ball, Cavini runs backwards away from him to the open space left at the top of the box, giving the crosser a much more open target. Very clever.
“Imagine if Krasic and Pepe had managed to pin back Napoli’s wingbacks.”
But they didn’t: wing-backs can defend and attack. Wingers like Krasic and Pepe can generally only defend. The wing-backs can be brave (especially at home) and get forward. The wingers will have to track them or will be undone, but they’re still not good defensively. The opposite can occur and the wing-backs will be fine.
“Elsewhere you acknowledge that the battle in the centre was won by greater cohesion between Napoli’s pairing than Juve’s. This is not a matter of formation.”
No, of course not. Not everything about the game was down to formation…
“Finally, we might fairly comment that conceding all three goals to cross-header combinations – even more significantly to one player, suggests that with a simple technical correction Juventus could become less vulnerable to this kind of attack. This technical problem was not a result of formation.”
But you can’t simply analyse a game in terms of how the goals went in…
“But you can’t simply analyse a game in terms of how the goals went in…”
Obviously not, but if all three goals were conceded in the same manner, there must be something on it.
A 4-4-2 generally won’t get a fullback as spare man against a 3-4-2-1, because the “2″ of the 3-4-2-1 are usually given the job of tracking the fullbacks. They are generally more winger than trequartisa, or as ZM has taken to saying, “central wingers.” So, both sides will usually have a spare CB when 4-4-2 faces 3-4-2-1.
That said, the idea of a spare man only really happens when teams defend statically and the players more or less match up and mark their natural opponent (within reason). Just like some teams have fluid attacks, the best teams have fluid defenses, and Napoli is one of these. They do a good job of making sure the “free man” isn’t consistently one player, or in an advantageous position relative to the ball and Napoli’s goal.
Can’t see how anyone could think he’s hit that third with his heel, patently obvious he’s headed it, to me anyway!
Great write up, as always.
Can’t believe that you’d think it was a header.
Watch the above video at 1.42. The final view shows it clearly go over his head.
“Marek Hamsik played deeper and slightly more centrally, often up against Armand Traore but sometimes dropping into the midfield to create a 3 v 2 situation against Napoli’s central midfielders.”
You mean against Juventus’ central midfielders?
Yes, oops…
Interesting. The report I saw said Juventus dominated but were undone by three simple goals.
They certainly had possession when they went behind, I think they were thoroughly second best though
“Against a simple 4-4-2, though, the 3-4-2-1 works beautifully”
why?
because of this http://www.zonalmarking.net/2010/03/24/three-man-defence-in-football-soccer/
Did you not read the rest of the article? Blimey
two points
a) Cavani has definitely hit the ground running in Naples, and lovely cheekbones to boot.
b) that youtube commentator was very annoying.
I think Zonal Marking should do analysis of Milan – Udinese game. The game that Goal.com called it game of the season in Serie A.
Oh well if Goal.com said it…
Game of the Season? But the season isn’t even over yet!
As a Milan fan though, I’ve to say that while the game was immensely tense and entertaining right down to the final moments, it wasn’t too interesting tactically; it was mainly a game of incredible defensive errors.
Wasn’t Cavani in Palermo the last few seasons? Anybody know why he wasn’t doing quite as well there?
Cavani was being played as a secondary striker at Palermo, and occasionally on the right, where he was normally deployed for Uruguay I think up until this season.
Why you’d want to play a 6ft+ striker with a foot and a half vertical leap anywhere other than through the middle is beyond me, but hindsight is 20-20 after all.
Canvai has apparently always said he’d be better as a number 9 type player, something he’s certainly proving this season.
Great post ZM, as usual.
Someone still believe what goal.com write, what a shock…
Definitely a header. The camera angles create quite the illusion.
Three *excellent* headers, too.
No, in slow motion you see it pass his head and you can even stop it and see the ball just above his arse, between his head and his heels. And then to the point it is hit by his heel. So no more discussion on this one.
Advancing frame by frame (you may need to download from Youtube and open in an external player to do this), I remain convinced that it’s a header
That’s what I thought until I saw this GIF posted above:
http://i52.tinypic.com/2eajr43.gif
why dont we just ask cavani or any napoli staff on that header matter lol
That’s no fun!
It looks like it’s a scapular goal in the end. ;^)
btw, my italian grammar nazi moment: it’s “prima punta”, singular; “prime punte”, plural.
oh and props for this great site, your posts are a pleasure to read
Guys why don’t you try playing the video in slow-motion, it does seem that he missed the header and the ball hit his leg.
ZM, I noticed that all the teams that play 3 man defense play their defensive line high up the pitch, what is the tactical repercussion that can result from playing a 3 man defense with a deep line? And can you name any team that play like this?
Also, I’d appreciate it if you can do a piece on Genoa’s next match, considering they fired Gasperini and abandoned their usual tactics to adopt 4-3-1-2. They lose Toni to Juve, how do you think they will cope with that?
Actually, I think Napoli, just a few seasons back and under a different manager, played a very deep 3-4-1-2 that was based on inviting pressure and then countering at speed. It was a very “broken team” that usually completely ceded the midfield, with their DMs sitting very deep and close to the CBs as well. I could be wrong though.
I don’t think Genoa would be missing Toni; they had him on a 2 year deal starting this season and gave him away for free. He wasn’t doing very well in matches either.
Great article, as always.
I find the 3-4-2-1 formation very interesting and I believe there are rather intriguing precedents. Certainly I wouldn’t expect anyone here to be aware of the measly chilean league, but chilean team Universidad Católica under manager Marco Figueroa played this formation from late 2009 to mid 2010 with good results: in clausura 09 they were the most scoring team and the least beaten defence, and were arguably the best team of the country (though they failed to win the championship that year because of the ridiculous stipulations surrounding the chilean football tournament).
They did it again in 2010 in Copa Libertadores and the national tournament, producing some excellent displays of attacking football (if you have the chance to check the leg played in Chile of the U. Católica – Colón de Santa Fé playoff from Copa Libertadores you should do so), but also some terrible displays in other matches, mostly – I think – due to de fact that the attacking power of such a formation relies heavily in a good display by the trequartistas and the width provided by the carrileros/wingers/attacking fullbacks. So they were very dependant on the performance of a few key players.
I could go on, but certainly no one cares about chilean football when discussing Napoli & Juve. I just wanted to point out that this formation was also used in South America with some degree of success, and notably, from a chilean side, keeping in mind that this very site has been rather eloquent about the chilean national side under Bielsa, which also sometimes features a 3-man defense with a very attacking intent.
Whoa long post. Anyway: Congratulations on the site and the excellent articles. This website is a joy.
napoli had no advantage over juve in terms of formation. Napoli had a spare Centre back, as did Juve and both teams were 2v2 in the centre of the pitch…
cavani has put an end to speculations about the third goal:
http://www.calciomercato.com/altre-notizie/cavani-al-tg2-non-ho-segnato-di-tacco-269722
to save anyone else having to translate the above link, cavani has admitted he headed it
@ ZM
Please, please, please, don’t miss Barcelona-Real Betis. I think it will definetely, definetely interest you. It may look as kind of an uninteresting, one-team cup game, but I swear, it is NOT.
Betis did a full-pitch closing down, placed forward lines, pressed high, and Barcelona needed 42′ to score their first. Then their physical superiority brought them the (brutal) advantage… but anyway, I do believe it is one-to-watch, if you have a bit of free time…
Just a small point but as far as Cavani arguably being European signing of the season – I’d say Nene of PSG was worth a pretty strong shout. It’s a shame actually that nowhere seems to cover Ligue 1 in this way – it’s all match reports rather than analysis.
I JUST wonder how England would look in a system similar to this one. Cole and Johnson on the flanks, Lampard and Gerrard the two playmakers, Rooney running the channels, Barry and Carrick helping keep the ball in the middle, and Terry, Carragher, and King as a center back trio that will refuse to be dragged wide.
This is just an American speaking though. I’m not up to date on who is in good form for the England squad.
That being said, I think the USA could use this formation as well.
Edited: wrong analysis page.