Napoli face early test: Atalanta visit the Maradona, Conte shakes things up | OneFootball

The lights of Serie A are back on and Napoli returns to the Maradona with one goal in mind: erase the defeat in Bologna and get back on track immediately. Conte demands an instant response, especially since the opponent is not the most comfortable: Atalanta, fresh from a change on the bench with Raffaele Palladino making his debut, arrives in Naples with no gentle intentions.

Napoli, midfield emergency, Højlund leads the attack: the coach’s choices

The emergency for the Azzurri remains at the heart of the game. Anguissa’s injury has completed an already complicated picture: De Bruyne out, Gilmour out, rotations reduced to a minimum and choices almost forced. Conte knows this and, as highlighted by Gianluca Di Marzio’s editorial team, is preparing a solid setup, with no laboratory experiments.

In goal, Milinkovic-Savic is confirmed, thanks to Meret’s prolonged absence. Conte is still considering the 3-4-2-1 formation, but the tactical pendulum swings towards the more reliable 4-3-3, to provide balance and width. In front of the goalkeeper, the back four should be Di Lorenzo, Rrahmani, Buongiorno, and Gutierrez, who is favored over Spinazzola, who has yet to regain his sharpness. In midfield, the margin for maneuver is zero: Lobotka as playmaker, with Elmas and McTominay on either side. Three men, three defined roles, no plan B. In attack, Conte relies on Højlund as the central reference point, with Politano on the right and Neres on the left: speed, one-on-one ability, and a front three that needs to start biting again.

NAPOLI (4-3-3): Milinkovic-Savic; Di Lorenzo, Rrahmani, Buongiorno, Gutierrez; Elmas, Lobotka, McTominay; Politano, Højlund, Neres. Coach: Conte.

Andrea Alati

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