It was a hard defeat to digest especially after AC Milan were leading 2-0 but let’s review the match lost against the Partenopei considering the two sides to the story.
FROM THE 0-2 LEAD TO THE 3-2 LOSS
What happened last night at the San Paolo it’s a big exception from a statistical point of view. In the last 25 years in Serie A, the Rossoneri have only lost 3-2 twice after taking a 2-0 lead: away to Sampdoria in Genoa in October 1993 (our goals scored by Albertini and Laudrup) and at San Siro against Udinese in January 2002 (Shevchenko and Serginho our goal scorers).
THE JACK FACTOR
Once again Bonaventura was our man to step up. After scoring 8 goals last season under coach Gattuso’s management from December 2017, Jack scored right away on his season debut. It’s not a coincidence. Bonaventura’s box-to-box qualities are one of the main strengths of the Rossoneri side.
THE ZIELINSKI FACTOR
This is the third consecutive season that AC Milan failed to hold Polish midfielder Piotz Zielinski at San Paolo. In August 2016, at halfway into the second half, Napoli and AC Milan were leveled 2-2; yet, two minutes after Zielinski subbed in, the Partenopei took the advantage and won. Likewise, in November 2017, Zielinski scored the match winner and sealed Napoli’s 2-1 victory against the Rossoneri.
THE GLASS HALF FULL
In the last month, when facing top teams, the Red and Blacks have created plenty of scoring opportunities but have failed to make the count. However, the opposite happened in Naples. AC Milan had only three scoring chances in the first 49 minutes and netted two goals. It’s a positive sign regarding finishing, although the team lost at the end.
THE GLASS HALF EMPTY
The team showed an alarming insecurity when managing the 0-2 lead, considering Napoli had to cope with a morale blow after conceding the second goal in the 49’. Following the match, coach Gattuso pointed out the lack of mental strength as the weakness of his team and the reason why coach Ancelotti’s side ended up winning. Certainly, this will be one of the main focus to work on at Milanello ahead of the next commitments.
