Napoli, Milinkovic-Savic a fan favourite at Maradona, now with Meret | OneFootball

Napoli is experiencing a true “Milinkovic-Savic mania.” The Serbian goalkeeper, who arrived this summer from Torino for 21 million euros, is proving to be an absolute protagonist of the season.

Napoli, Milinkovic-Savic is already a fan favorite at the “Maradona.” Now with Meret…

The 202-centimeter giant has managed in just a few months to combine two extremely rare qualities for a goalkeeper: stopping penalties and turning them into decisive moments for his team.

When Milinkovic-Savic was signed, many fans expressed doubts: “Why spend so much on a goalkeeper when we already have Meret?” as reported by Virgilio in its sports section. However, the injury to the first-choice keeper opened the door for the Serbian, who wasted no time in showing his quality. In the Coppa Italia, in the penalty shootout against Cagliari, Milinkovic-Savic not only saved the decisive penalty from Luvumbo but also scored his own spot kick, dragging Napoli into the quarterfinals.

The Serbian goalkeeper is proving to be a valuable asset for Antonio Conte: this season he has already saved crucial shots from Camarda (Lecce) and Morata (Como), and adding his previous experience at Torino, he has stopped six of the last ten penalties faced in Serie A.

The (winning) intuition of Mihajlovic

It’s no coincidence that Milinkovic-Savic has become a penalty specialist. The original idea dates back to his time at Torino with Sinisa Mihajlovic: “Between endless training sessions and free kicks,” the reports of the time say, “Mihajlovic pushed him to shoot directly at goal from 25 meters, creating a unique training routine that highlighted the young goalkeeper’s talent.”

Today, that same confidence transferred to penalty kicks gives Conte an extra resource, especially in a season where specialists like De Bruyne and Lukaku are not always available.

The return of Meret and Conte’s dilemma

Alex Meret, sidelined since the end of October due to a fracture of the second metatarsal in his right foot, is in the recovery phase. The goal remains the Supercoppa, but it’s likely that the Friulian goalkeeper will only be available for the last matchday of 2025, against Cremonese on December 28.

Napoli’s coach will therefore have to decide whether to continue relying on Milinkovic-Savic as the starting goalkeeper, given his decisive performances, or to alternate between the two number ones. The choice appears even more complex after the recent match against Roma, in which the Serbian saved his team with a prodigious reflex stop on Baldanzi in the final moments.

a goalkeeper between legend and pragmatism

Milinkovic-Savic confirms himself as a rare profile in modern football: a giant between the posts, an unstoppable penalty taker, and now a true point of reference for Napoli. Conte faces both an opportunity and a dilemma: to capitalize on the Serbian’s golden moment without rushing Meret’s return, seeking to maintain a balance between continuity and squad management ahead of the most intense part of the season.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇮🇹 here.