Napoli: Di Lorenzo’s Haaland error and Hojlund case analysed | OneFootball

The Champions League clash between Manchester City and Napoli continues to stir debate.

Napoli, Di Lorenzo's mistake on Haaland and the Hojlund case: The Athletic's analysis

The Athletic portal has analyzed two key incidents: the glaring mistake by Giovanni Di Lorenzo on the pass to Haaland and the peculiar case of Rasmus Hojlund, who arrived in Napoli in the summer after leaving Manchester United.

Di Lorenzo, three meters of advantage wasted on Haaland

According to The Athletic, it all started from an apparently harmless action. A long throw from Donnarumma seemed easy to handle: however, Beukema, pressured by Haaland, lost the ball, gifting it to Foden. The Englishman with an immediate touch launched the Norwegian striker into space.

At that point, Di Lorenzo started with a three-meter advantage, but completely mistimed his intervention. Instead of anticipating Haaland, he committed a foul by overwhelming the striker. Referee Zwayer initially let it go, but the VAR called him back: the direct red card was inevitable.

The incident forced Antonio Conte to redesign the team in numerical inferiority, sacrificing a much-anticipated protagonist: Kevin De Bruyne.

De Bruyne, a bitter return to Manchester

The match was supposed to represent De Bruyne's starring return to Etihad, but Di Lorenzo's red card changed the plans. Conte decided to substitute him to rebalance the midfield.

The Belgian's last action was however a flash of class: a pinpoint 50-meter pass to serve Politano. A gesture that reminded everyone of his talent, even though the evening ended too soon. The City crowd still gave him a long applause with a dedicated banner: “King Kev”.

Hojlund, from Manchester United to Napoli: a forced sale

The Athletic also dedicated ample space to the trajectory of Rasmus Hojlund, who arrived in Napoli in the last hours of the transfer market. The Danish striker did not want to leave Manchester United, but had to surrender to the decisions of the club and coach Amorim.

The turning point came after the Carabao Cup defeat against Grimsby Town: at the end of the match, the management informed the player that he was no longer in the technical plans. Despite having finished the previous season as the Red Devils' top scorer with 16 goals (10 of which in the Premier League), Hojlund was excluded for three consecutive matches.

The choice of Napoli and the debut in Serie A

Cut out from the United project and with the arrival of Sesko, Hojlund enthusiastically accepted Napoli's proposal. The striker moved on loan with an obligation to buy under certain conditions, finding space immediately: on his debut against Fiorentina, it took him just 14 minutes to score.

According to The Athletic, his departure from Manchester represents the emblem of the difficulties of young players in complex corporate contexts like that of United, where the weight of responsibilities and immediate pressure risk burning emerging talents.

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