Yawns, errors, standout Anguissa: Napoli held 0-0 by Eintracht | OneFootball

Orderly and compact Germans. In the second half, Knauff scares Milinkovic, and in the final minutes there are chances for Anguissa and Hojlund. The Italians are at 4 points halfway through the group stage. McTominay and Hojlund are unrecognizable.

Yawns, mistakes, a great Anguissa. Only 0-0 with Eintracht, Napoli’s Champions League campaign is now an uphill battle

Antonio Conte’s Napoli come to a halt once again. After a 0-0 draw against Como in the league, another goalless draw arrives in the Champions League, this time against Eintracht Frankfurt. A result that weighs heavily, not only for the group standings but also for the morale of a team that seems to have lost its spark. A match that leaves more doubts than certainties.

A decent first half but lacking incisiveness

The Neapolitan side started the game well, showing good rhythm and an aggressive attitude in the opening minutes. However, the compact defense of the Germans, coached by Toppmöller, held firm without losing composure. And so, yawns, fleeting touches, and continuous backward passes. The most dangerous moment of the first half came from Bahoya, who wasted a counterattack after winning the ball from Politano. From then on, Napoli took control, increased their possession, and created some chances with Hojlund and Elmas.

In the 6th and 21st minutes, the Dane came close to scoring, first being stopped by Theate and then by an alert Zetterer. Anguissa—by far the best of his team—also tried to add substance and verticality, alternating valuable recoveries with offensive forays, but the balance remained unchanged.

Second half drop-off and many wasted chances

In the second half, Napoli started strong, but their lack of composure in front of goal became evident. Gotze and Kristensen gave the Neapolitan defense a scare, forcing Milinkovic-Savic into a couple of decisive saves.

In the 68th minute, McTominay had the chance to break the deadlock from a perfect Elmas cross, but was blocked by Koch. A few minutes later, the same Scottish midfielder squandered a golden opportunity in the 83rd minute, shooting high from a favorable position. Not like him, the cover man from last season.

Conte tried to change the momentum by bringing on Neres and Lang. The new arrivals didn’t make an impact in terms of scoring, but certainly created—especially the former PSV man—some interesting attacking moves. In the final minutes, Zetterer saved twice from Elmas and Hojlund, sealing the draw.

The final score of 0-0 leaves Napoli in an uncomfortable position in their Champions League group. The Azzurri remain level on points with Eintracht in the playoff zone, but the feeling is of a team regressing. The absence of Kevin De Bruyne, crucial in terms of technical and anthropological superiority, is proving more costly than expected, especially on certain stages. Without the Belgian, the build-up play appears slow and predictable, with an attack unable to accelerate or create a numerical advantage. This Napoli is not convincing. Defensive solidity remains a strong point, but the attacking play is fragmented and lacks ideas. Conte seems too cautious, almost paralyzed in his choices. As a result, the team shows little confidence and cannot turn good intentions into concrete results.

The next match will be decisive: Qarabag will come to the Maradona, before away games against Mourinho’s Benfica and Copenhagen. The group stage will then end at home against Chelsea. At least two wins are needed to stay in the running.

NAPOLI (4-3-3) – Milinkovic-Savic 6.5; Di Lorenzo 5, Rrahmani 5.5, Buongiorno 5.5, Gutierrez 6; Anguissa 7, Lobotka 5.5 (74′ Lang 6.5), McTominay 4.5; Politano 5 (65′ Neres 5), Hojlund 4.5, Elmas 6. Coach: Conte 5.

EINTRACHT (3-4-2-1) – Zetterer 6.5; Collins 6, Koch 6, Theate 6.5; Kristensen 6.5, Chaibi 6.5 (90′ Amenda N/A), Larsson 6 (79′ Skhiri N/A), Brown 6.5 (90′ Dahoud N/A); Gotze 6, Bahoya 6 (65′ Knauff 6); Burkardt 6.5. Coach: Toppmöller 6.5.

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