AC Milan succumbed to a dominant Napoli side, going down 4-2 at the Stadio San Paolo on Saturday evening.
It was always going to be a difficult task for the Rossoneri, having won only two points from their previous five fixtures at the San Paolo.
It took only 18 minutes for new signing Arkadiusz Milik to open the scoring for the Napoletani with a scruffy but effective finish, finding himself in the right place at the right time. The Polish international soon doubled the lead with a superb header from a Jose Callejon corner.
However, in the opening minutes of the second-half, the Milanese managed to level the proceedings with a low finish from M’baye Niang and a strike from the edge of the area via new signing Jose Suso.
Maurizio Sarri was sent into the stands following a dispute with officials, but it made no difference to his side’s performance, with Callejon netting Napoli’s third goal from point-blank range.
Two red cards to Niang and Kucka made the Rossoneri’s work extremely difficult in the latter stages, where Callejon was again on hand to score his second and give the hosts the victory.
Napoli and the importance of Dries Mertens
Dries Mertens had a stellar game against Milan and was instrumental in Napoli’s win, restored to the starting XI following his brace from the bench against Pescara in the opening fixture.
The Belgian did not waste his opportunity and was involved during most crucial pieces of play, in which he was steadfast and sharp. The 29-year-old had two goal scoring opportunities saved by the excellent goalkeeping of Gianluigi Donnarumma.
His speed and creativity will make him one to watch out for in the 2016-17 Serie A season.
Montella’s defence
It is common footballing knowledge that the goalkeeper is the very last line of defence for any side.
However, it does not mean that it should always be left to him to salvage his squad. It is the defenders who should be doing their utmost to cease any opportunities from happening. The Rossoneri have much work to do ahead if their defensive performance against Napoli is anything to go by.
While there have been improvements made, it appears as though the same errors keep creeping into their play. Marking is one of such problem. In fact, Milik was able to easily shrug off his defender to head home his second goal for the Napoletani outfit.
On many occasions, it is up to goalkeeping whizkid Donnarumma to keep his side in the match. Gone are the days of Alessandro Nesta and Paolo Maldini anchoring the Milan defence. The desire and the passion to succeed is there, but defensive discipline needs to be assessed and worked on if Milan is to achieve their goal of reaching European football heights.
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