World News – UK – Can Roma break their witch against top teams when they travel to Napoli?

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Roma have battled the top under Paulo Fonseca, making tomorrow’s game a potential turning point.

The rivalry between the Associazione Sportiva Roma and the Società Sportiva Calcio Napoli dates back to autumn 1929 and is one of the oldest and most bitter in all of Italian football. With a total of 58 wins, 53 draws and 47 losses, the Roma have done pretty well against their southern neighbors, but I’m not sure if they have ever faced a match like tomorrow’s trip to San Paolo Stadium – a name that might so will soon be a thing of the past.

Football legend Diego Armando Maradona died on Wednesday afternoon at the age of 60 after a heart attack in his home in Buenos Aires. Whether you consider him the greatest player of all time or not, one thing is absolutely certain: Maradona was and is a god-like figure to the people of Napoli. So much so that just hours after his death a movement to rename Napoli’s site in Maradona’s honor gained momentum.

While it is not a perfect analogy, if there is a fan base who can empathize with and appreciate the Napoli cult of Maradona, it is Roma fans who revere Francesco Totti with the same sense of awe and awe.

Given what it meant to the club and the people of Napoli, this game will have a very different feel than the typical Derby del Sole. It’s a shame fans aren’t allowed to go into the stands, but the league plans to give Maradona a minute’s silence before kick-off, black armbands and a break in the game in the 10. Honor minute.

Given all he meant to the club and the city of Napoli, it is likely impossible to properly pay tribute to Maradona, but when the minutes of silence are over there is still a match to be played. So let’s take a quick look at the storylines in this critical six-pointer.

Although Roma were only separated by three points on the table, his attack was, at least in theory, more productive than Napoli’s, beating Gattuso’s squad by nearly 10 expected goals. The Giallorossi also have an edge on actual goals, targeting actions, and total shots, but lag behind their competition in terms of percentage of shooting and conversion rate.

All in all, if the Roma were a little more clinical in front of the goal, they could be at the top of the table and that six pointer would start to look like a David v. Goliath scenario.

But. . . We’re still talking about Napoli and Roma haven’t exactly dominated that game in recent years. The hosts on Sunday have won the honor in two of the last three games. The Roma may be on the move right now, but they haven’t faced any Napoli-quality opponent since the end of October when they drew in Milan.

Paulo Fonseca deserves credit for dominating smaller teams, but Roma’s record against the top six hasn’t been that good lately.

Roma have dominated the Beneventos and Parmas of the world lately, but when it comes to their main rivals for the four Italian Champions League places (Juventus, AC Milan, Inter Milan, Lazio, Atalanta and Napoli), the Giallorossi have Problems repeat the same success they enjoy against smaller sites.

In 45 league games under Fonseca, Roma have set a 26-8-11 (W-D-L) record, winning 57% of their games and an average of 1. 91 points per game. If you win all the games against these six big clubs, Roma’s record improves dramatically: 23-2-6 (W-D-L), a 74% win, and an average of 2. 29 points per game.

Against the « Big Six » these numbers drop off steeply: 3-6-5 (W-D-L), a low 21. 4% of the games won and an average of 1. 07 points per game. While we’d expect some regression against larger clubs, it’s a worrying trend to get little more than one point per game against your direct competition for Champions League seats.

But on the lighter side, Roma under Paulo Fonseca have never looked so good and Juventus and Milan have already taken points this season. A victory over Napoli tomorrow could be the stepping stone the Roma need to consolidate their status as truly serious Champions League contenders. . . and maybe even as a legitimate threat to the S-word.

Napoli doesn’t scorch scoreboards like they did under Maurizio Sarri, but they’re not exactly lacking in top talent either. Napoli’s big four – Hirving Lazano, Victor Oshimen, Dries Mertens and Lorenzo Insigne – have scored 11 goals and 5 assists in the club’s first eight games and will be quite a challenge for the Roma defenses, which are still understaffed.

Roma will have a little break, with Oshimen likely to miss this match, but Mertens (4. 69), insignia (3. 64) and Lozano (3. 31) are among the leaders in the league for shooting actions per 90 minutes, while Lozano and Mertens are also among the top 3 in the league for scoring actions. And we haven’t even mentioned Matteo Politano, who is second in the league for goalscoring actions and third for shooting actions.

Add all that up and Napoli is still a remarkably balanced and difficult-to-defend attack force, though they don’t find the back of the net as often as they used to. In eight games, 37% of Napoli’s attacks come from the left, 26% from the center and 37% from the right. As I said, balanced.

So while it is impossible to say with certainty where Napoli’s attacks will begin, 68% of their actual shot attempts come through the center and 56% of those who appear in the box averaging 16. 5 meters away they know where their bread is buttered. Lozano (63% on target) and Mertens (45% on target) were particularly dangerous in front of the goal, although they did not achieve their expected total goals.

As with all things, stopping this quartet will be a team effort (with Politano replacing Oshimen to lead this discussion) but Roma need to pay special attention to Mertens, who is one of the league’s leading players Belongs to a variety of attack categories. With Lozano he has formed a particularly strong pairing and scored three goals for the Mexican international – the top grade in the league.

With Oshimen likely to miss this match, Mertens is likely to be used as a lone striker so the Roma don’t have to worry so much about Mertens, the creator, but about the man who is supposed to take his place in the hole (Politano). was even more effective this season and ranked among the leaders in scoring goals and shots.

Understandably, limiting Mertens’ effective touches (who are in the middle of the field and / or in the area) is likely key to victory for tomorrow’s Roma. Mertens is the straw that stirs the drink. Isolating him removes the main exit for insignia and Politano’s gimmick, and at the same time robs Lozano of his main supplier of goals.

Playing in Napoli is never easy, but when you look at the emotions of the moment caused by Maradona’s death and Roma’s battles against bigger clubs, Sunday’s game suddenly looks like Roma’s toughest game yet.

But a win on the road against a tough Napoli side could be a defining moment in Roma’s race to the top.

S. . S.. . C.. . Napoli, A.. . S.. . Roma, Serie A, Diego Maradona