Why defensive midfielders will be key in high stakes Roma – Napoli clash
“I’m expecting a great game,” Italy Under-21 boss Gigi Di Biagio said to Radio Mana Mana Sport on tonight’s impending clash between Roma and Napoli. “They are two sides who play good football. It will be a 4-3-3 against a 4-2-3-1 and I think the game will be won in midfield.”
Though his words were quite simple, the Azzurri boss nicely captured the essence of the encounter featuring the two clubs at the top of Serie A. Both sides have midfields which have been reshaped during the summer transfer window, with both excelling in the early part of the season.
The Giallorossi have to date scored the most goals in the Italian championship with 20 and allowed the fewest in conceding just one, whilst the Partenopei stand second in each category having garnered corresponding figures of 18 and four.
Roma’s exploits see them ranked second in both Attack Score (1178) and Defence Score (991), with Rafa Benitez’s men taking fourth (1070) in the former, and top honours (1086) in the latter.
With the pair having each been excellent in the offensive and defensive thirds thus far, the focus shifts to the holding midfielders at the heart of their particular formations, Daniele De Rossi and Kevin Strootman for the Roma, and Gokhan Inler and Valon Behrami for Napoli.
The Roma duo in fact are deployed beside playmaker Miralem Pjanic in midfield, as opposed to the two-man tandem occupied behind the attacking midfield trident by their Stadio San Paolo counterparts, but generally operate in deeper positions than the Bosnian to provide a balanced presence.
Inler and De Rossi have indeed been the best two defensive midfielders in the Italian top flight in 2013-14, recording Performance Scores of 267 and 246 respectively, good for third and fourth out of all men who ply their trade in the centre of the park.
The two have been superb in breaking up opposition play through intuitive reading of the game, De Rossi tallying 23 interceptions on the campaign to the Switzerland international’s 15, whilst the Italian has been successful in 75% of his tackles to edge out his opposite number’s rate of 69%, though Inler has made more attempts.
The duo are also impressive with the ball at their feet, with each player having completed 90% of his passes despite average pass lengths of 20+ metres, with De Rossi creating eight chances and Inler seven.
Despite their excellence in distribution, however, it is Strootman that leads the way creatively out of the holding midfielders that will feature in Friday’s match, the 23-year-old has made 11 total key passes this season, four of which have been turned into assists, a testament to the true quality of his deliveries.
Even though the Giallorossi summer capture occupies a fairly deep role, his lung-bursting runs forward and intelligent movement see him often find himself in advanced positions, leading to a high degree of his chances being created from just outside the penalty area.
Behrami on the other hand has failed to produce anything of note offensively, but has made more tackles than De Rossi and Inler with 12, a figure equivalent to that of Strootman.
The former West Ham man also is level on average defensive actions per game with the Dutchman at five, each player showing the ability to close down opponents preemptively and with last-ditch efforts in equal measure.
Yet Strootman’s record of 12 clearances, nine interceptions, and seven blocks is particularly remarkable considering his propensity to get forward when presented with the opportunity, demonstrating his value as a true box-to-box midfielder given the great diversity amongst his contributions.
With Roma able to count on Francesco Totti, Gervinho, Adem Ljajic, and Alessandro Florenzi up front and Napoli boasting considerable attacking talent in the form of Gonzalo Higuain, Lorenzo Insigne, Jose Callejon, and Dries Mertens, each side will have plenty to deal with at the back come Friday evening.
De Rossi and Strootman’s ability to render Partenopei’s creative force Marek Hamsik ineffective will be crucial, whilst Inler and Behrami will be called upon to shut down Roma’s supply lines by shackling Totti and Pjanic in possession.
The pair that is more successful at disrupting their opponents’ build-up play and turning defence into attack, the latter being something that the Roma duo excels at in particular, will undoubtedly play a major role in determining the result of a match that will go a long way in suggesting who will be competing for the Scudetto down the stretch, even if coaches Rudi Garcia and Rafa Benitez won’t yet admit it.
And so, in a game between two sides that play aesthetically pleasing, possession-orientated football and have no shortage of players with a moment of inspiration in their boots. It’s the men that can muddy the waters, though they may not always receive the spotlight, who will ultimately prove decisive.