The Siren's Song - Serie A: Udinese vs. Napoli, 2016.04.02Fall Under the Spell of Napolihttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/52658/tss_fav.png2016-04-03T14:27:31+02:00http://www.thesirenssong.com/rss/stream/111187192016-04-03T14:27:31+02:002016-04-03T14:27:31+02:00Udinese 3 Napoli 1: Major meltdown destroys Napoli
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<figcaption>Dino Panato/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>This was probably Napoli's worst performance of the season by a long ways, and their title challenge is effectively over.</p> <p>A brutal series of defensive and goalkeeping miscues sank Napoli's hopes on Sunday, both in the match and in the Serie A title race. Their 3-1 loss to Udinese sees the <i>partenopei</i> fall six points behind Juventus in the <i>scudetto </i>chase, severely damaging their chances of mounting a serious challenge for the title thanks to one of the worst Napoli performances the team has had in a very long time -- and it was only made worse when Gonzalo Higuain lost his mind late in the match.</p>
<p>As has been far too common for Napoli of late, the start of the match went extremely poorly for Napoli. They were a step slow and a beat off tempo with one another, leading to a series of mistakes that would quickly prove costly. A major miscue from <span>Kalidou Koulibaly</span> handed Udinese a 14th-minute penalty, and <span>Bruno Fernandes</span> made no mistake in putting it away -- though replacement goalkeeper Gabriel did a poor job of saving it, allowing it to slip clean underneath him. Missing Pepe Reina with that calf injury hurt Napoli badly early, and not for the last time in the match.</p>
<p>Napoli's shaky play continued on after going down a goal, especially on the left side of defense. Koulibaly and <span>Faouzi Ghoulam</span> both made a long string of mistakes, which Napoli only barely avoided paying for on numerous occasions, and frustration quickly set in.</p>
<p>It seemed for a moment that things would be turned around, after <a href="http://www.thesirenssong.com/napoli-pictures-clips-funny/2016/4/3/11354838/gonzalo-higuain-goal-napoli-udinese-30-season-record-watch-video" target="_blank">Gonzalo Higuain hammered home a rebound</a> to score his club record setting 30th Serie A goal of the season -- also his astonishing 65th in 100 league appearances for Napoli -- but the celebrations were short lived. Udinese attacked hard off the restart, and Ghoulam gave up Napoli's second penalty of the match. This one, again taken by Fernandes, was <a href="http://www.thesirenssong.com/napoli-pictures-clips-funny/2016/4/3/11354846/gabriel-makes-huge-double-save-to-preserve-1-1-score" target="_blank">saved in impressive fashion by Gabriel</a>, who had to make a second save off the resulting rebound, but it was clear that Napoli's issues were far from solved in this match.</p>
<p>Napoli would start to wrest away some degree of control of the match, even starting to look like the better side near the end of the first half after looking even for much of the time after equalizing -- that despite <span>Maurizio Sarri</span> being sent off for arguing with officials after a foul very questionably went against Napoli, the fourth time this year he's been sent off. Yet another defensive miscue would cost them dearly, though, when another mistake on the left side of defense pulled Gabriel out of goal to challenge Napoli loanee Duvan Zapata after he pounced on a back pass. Gabriel couldn't get the ball off him, though, and he centered the ball for, you guessed it, Bruno Fernandes, who struck it home on a bicycle kick.</p>
<p>The second half didn't start well for Napoli, who struggled again to link up with one another, and by the time the hour mark rolled around things went from bad to worse. Raul Albiol lost all track of <span>Cyril Thereau</span>, who promptly scored his ninth goal of the season off a high cross from <span>Silvan Widmer</span> on a leaping effort that left Albiol looking stunned that the French striker was even there.</p>
<p>Things went from worse to nightmarish for Napoli in the 75th minute. Higuain, who had been booked for rather vehemently disagreeing with the referee's decision in the 61st minute, was shown another yellow card with 15 minutes left to go in the match. He'd just been whistled for a foul, but it's not clear if the second yellow was for persistent fouling or for <i>another</i> vocal reaction to the referee -- but that stopped mattering just seconds later, when Higuain started <i>screaming </i>at the referee, shoving him back and completely losing his cool, kicking out at an Udinese player. Higuain was so incensed and wild that he had to be repeatedly restrained by Napoli players so he wouldn't go after the referee or Udinese players, and even injured Pepe Reina had to come running off the bench to help haul him off the pitch. To say it was an ugly scene is to seriously understate what happened.</p>
<p>As if the result of the match hadn't all but doomed Napoli's <i>scudetto </i>chase, the likely long suspension Higuain now faces likely finished off any hopes. In addition to the one-game suspension he'll get for getting sent off with a second yellow, he'll likely serve two or three or even more games suspended for shoving the referee and kicking another player in his childish meltdown. With just seven games to go, that's a <i>massive</i> blow to Napoli's attack and ability to compete, meaning that Higuain's lost calm now leaves Napoli absolutely desperate just to hold on to second place.</p>
<p>Frustration is one thing, and frustration can be fine. What Higuain did was way beyond that, and it's not OK in any way, not least for what it did to Napoli.</p>
<p>Now Napoli need to turn things around after this dismal performance, and will need to beat Hellas Verona without Higuain, and also without Kalidou Koulibaly and Dries Mertens, who both picked up accumulation suspensions for their respective yellow cards. They have a week to figure it out and to plan out the rest of their season, but things are looking awfully dim after Sunday's battering.</p>
<p>On to the next.</p>
<p><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.thesirenssong.com/"><b>Napoli</b></a>: Gabriel; Hysaj, Albiol, Koulibaly, Ghoulam; Allan, Jorginho (El Kaddouri 74'), Hamsik; Callejon (Mertens 58'), Higuain (red 75'), Insigne (Gabbiadini 72')</p>
<p><i>Goals</i>: Higuain (24')</p>
<p><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/serie-a/teams/udinese"><b>Udinese</b></a>: Karnezis; Heurteaux, Daniel, Felipe; Widmer, Kuzmanovic, Badu, Fernandes, Armero (Piris 75'); Thereau (Perica 84'), Zapata (Matos 64')</p>
<p><i>Goals</i>: Fernandes (pen. 14', 45'+1), Thereau (57')</p>
https://www.thesirenssong.com/2016/4/3/11354830/udinese-napoli-serie-a-2016-final-score-result-recapConor Dowley2016-04-03T13:30:02+02:002016-04-03T13:30:02+02:00Gabriel makes huge double-save
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<figcaption>Francesco Pecoraro/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Gabriel more than made up for his miss on an earlier penalty save.</p> <p>After <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.thesirenssong.com/">Napoli</a> leveled the score at 1-1 with <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/serie-a/teams/udinese">Udinese</a> thanks to Gonzalo Higuain's record-setting goal, fans hoped that they would quickly enforce their will on the match. Those hopes were dashed when Napoli almost immediately conceded their second penalty of the match, with Gabriel put on the spot again in goal after failing badly to save the first. <span>Bruno Fernandes</span> had scored the first far too easily, and he stepped up to take the second...</p>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Gabriel?src=hash">#Gabriel</a>'s penalty save! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/UdineseNapoli?src=hash">#UdineseNapoli</a> <a href="https://t.co/Xg6iuJMCfC">pic.twitter.com/Xg6iuJMCfC</a></p>
— T.M.B. (@TheMilanBible) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheMilanBible/status/716582015601127425">April 3, 2016</a>
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<p>... and Gabriel did THAT. It was a tremendous save, and had to quickly be followed up by a point-blank reflex save, no easy task while resetting from another save immediately before it. It was an excellent display of the kind of skill that made Napoli chase his loan so aggressively last summer, and was the perfect way to make up for his earlier mistake.</p>
<p>Sadly, he couldn't keep up the fine play -- while Gabriel made another fine save later in the half, he badly misplayed a play in front of him at the end of the first half, coming out of his goal and leaving it wide open for Fernandes to score off a bicycle kick.</p>
<p>Let's see more plays like the double-save and less like what happened around it, OK Gabriel?</p>
https://www.thesirenssong.com/napoli-pictures-clips-funny/2016/4/3/11354846/gabriel-makes-huge-double-save-to-preserve-1-1-scoreConor Dowley2016-04-03T13:19:57+02:002016-04-03T13:19:57+02:00Higuain scores record-setting 30th Serie A goal
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<figcaption>Maurizio Lagana/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Napoli have a new single-season scoring record holder.</p> <p>Trailing 1-0 to <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/serie-a/teams/udinese" class="sbn-auto-link">Udinese</a> midway through the first half of the match, <a href="https://www.thesirenssong.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Napoli</a> needed someone to step up in a big way -- and who else would it be but Gonzalo Higuain to score a massive, record-breaking goal.</p>
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<p lang="es" dir="ltr">El 30° gol de Higuaín en esta Serie A: <a href="https://t.co/LW3IYB6kVt">https://t.co/LW3IYB6kVt</a></p>
— Sergio Santomé (@Sergio_Santome) <a href="https://twitter.com/Sergio_Santome/status/716581736415682560">April 3, 2016</a>
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<p>It's a sublime strike, stepping up onto a tricky rebound -- the ball came straight to Higuain, but its pace was dying fast, so was hard to judge where to strike -- and finishing it perfectly to leave Karnezis helpless in goal. It's also a milestone goal for Higuain, scoring his 30th Serie A goal of the season to surpass the 29 goals scored by Edinson Cavani in his final season for the <i>partenopei </i>to set a new club single-season scoring record. It was also his 65th Serie A goal in his career, in his 100th league appearance for Napoli. Not bad, Gonzalo. Not bad at all.</p>
<p>It was a special moment, but one muted by the situation of the game. Hopefully Napoli have more to celebrate soon.</p>
https://www.thesirenssong.com/napoli-pictures-clips-funny/2016/4/3/11354838/gonzalo-higuain-goal-napoli-udinese-30-season-record-watch-videoConor Dowley2016-04-03T11:56:14+02:002016-04-03T11:56:14+02:00Udinese vs. Napoli: Lineups, chat & Gabriel nerves
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<figcaption>Dino Panato/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Napoli's loanee backup goalkeeper gets the starting nod.</p> <p>After a couple days of speculation and hope, Pepe Reina failed his late physical thanks to that calf injury, and Gabriel is getting the start in goal. The AC Milan loanee still has a lot to prove if he's going to keep a job in Naples moving forward, and this will be a good chance for him to do so. Let's just hope that losing Reina doesn't hurt too much in the meantime.</p>
<p>Elsewhere on the pitch, Jose Callejon starts on the right wing, where it had been rumored that Manolo Gabbiadini was in consideration for a larger role. Obviously that didn't materialize, but perhaps Maurizio Sarri will be willing to go to his bench a bit earlier than normal to get Gabbiadini if he needs another attacking spark. Otherwise, Napoli's lineup is as expected.</p>
<p>For Udinese, their lineup is also as expected, with a 3-5-2- likely featuring Bruno Fernandes playing slightly ahead of a bruising midfield duo of Emmanuel Badu and Zdravko Kuzmanovic. Their attack is spearheaded by Napoli loanee Duvan Zapata, who has enjoyed a successful season for the <i>zebrette</i> when healthy, and is joined by ex-Napoli wingback Pablo Armero.</p>
<p><b><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.thesirenssong.com/">Napoli</a></b>: Gabriel; Hysaj, Albiol, Koulibaly, Ghoulam; Allan, Jorginho, Hamsik; Callejon, Higuain, Insigne</p>
<p><b><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/serie-a/teams/udinese">Udinese</a></b>: Karnezis; Heurteaux, Daniel, Felipe; Widmer, Kuzmanovic, Badu, Fernandes, Armero; Thereau, Zapata</p>
<h4>Watch It</h4>
<p><b>TV</b>: Sky Calcio 1 (Italy), BT Sport Europe (U.K.), RAI International</p>
<p><b>Online</b>: beIN Sports Connect (U.S. & Canada), Sky Go Italia (Italy)</p>
<p>Other live viewing options can be found <a target="_blank" href="http://www.livesoccertv.com/teams/italy/napoli/">here</a>, and as always, you can discuss the match in the comments below (links to illegal streams will be removed and repeat offenders banned). You can also follow along with us live on <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/SirenSongNapoli">Twitter</a>, and we'll have updates of the most important events on our <a target="_blank" href="https://www.facebook.com/SirenSongNapoli">Facebook page</a>, which you should definitely like.</p>
https://www.thesirenssong.com/2016/4/3/11354818/udinese-napoli-serie-a-2016-confirmed-lineups-match-discussion-live-online-streamingConor Dowley2016-04-03T08:51:14+02:002016-04-03T08:51:14+02:00Reina has less than 50% chance to play
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<figcaption>Francesco Pecoraro/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Reports indicate that the odds we see Gabriel in goal for Napoli are better than 50/50.</p> <p>Reports early on matchday aren't looking great for <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.thesirenssong.com/">Napoli</a> fans -- while <span>Pepe Reina</span> made the trip with the team to face <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/serie-a/teams/udinese">Udinese</a>, it's looking very unlikely that he's going to play.</p>
<p>Indications are that <a href="http://www.tuttonapoli.net/in-primo-piano/reina-non-ha-recuperato-pienamente-40-di-possibilita-per-lo-spagnolo-e-gia-pronto-gabriel-268751" target="_blank">there's less than a 50% chance</a> that the Spanish goalkeeper is in the starting XI for Napoli in Udine, with the calf injury he suffered late in the week still proving problematic. It's a tricky injury to deal with for any player, but especially for goalkeepers, and right now it doesn't look like it's going to allow Reina to take the field.</p>
<p>Those same reports indicate that Gabriel, the goalkeeper on loan from AC Milan, is the man most likely to be given the starting nod in Reina's place. That makes sense, as he's played more than Rafael Cabral this season and generally done well when called upon. Both of Napoli's backups have been getting in extra training reps ever since Reina went down, so hopefully they'll be ready for action.</p>
<p>Cross your fingers, ladies and gents. This one could get a little rough without a fully fit Reina.</p>
https://www.thesirenssong.com/2016/4/3/11354706/pepe-reina-injury-unfit-calf-napoli-udinese-gabriel-goalkeeperConor Dowley2016-04-03T06:24:01+02:002016-04-03T06:24:01+02:00Udinese vs. Napoli preview: The zebrette must fall
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<figcaption>Giuseppe Bellini/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Napoli are still in must-win territory, but so are Udinese.</p> <p>The international break is <i>finally</i> over, and Napoli are back in action with a trip to Udinese with a chance to not only keep themselves in the Serie A title race, but to potentially throw the <i>zebrette</i> into the thick of the relegation battle.</p>
<div align="right" class="pullquote">Udinese vs. <font color="#5ba4c7">Napoli</font>:<span>Sunday, April 3rd, 2016</span> <span>12:30 p.m. CET, 6:30 a.m. ET</span> <span>Stadio Communale Friuli</span><span>Udine, Italy</span>
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<p>This won't be an easy match, though -- Napoli haven't won at the Stadio Friuli in several years, though they've earned more draws than losses in that time. It would be wonderful to end that streak, but that will be easier said than done -- though at least Udinese have lost three of their last six home matches, and won just <i>once</i> in their last 12 overall matches.</p>
<p>That poor form has Udinese sitting just three points above the relegation zone, and incredibly desperate to regain some semblance of positivity for this season. They can't afford to keep losing matches, and they're going to throw everything they can at Napoli to earn an upset -- including Napoli loanee striker Duvan Zapata, fully recovered from his early-season hip injury and the <i>zebrette's</i> second-leading scorer with six goals to his name. His physicality added to Cyril Therueau's trickery will sorely test Napoli's back line, and both Raul Albiol and Kalidou Koulibaly will have to be on their toes all match long.</p>
<p>The bigger question for Napoli is who lines up behind those two defenders. Pepe Reina traveled with the team to Udine, but his status after suffering a calf injury in training late in the week is still very much up in the air. Rafael Cabral and Gabriel have been doing extra training sessions to prepare if needed, and Gabriel is more likely to get some playing time if Reina can't go -- he's the only other Napoli goalkeeper to play this season, after all. Hopefully whoever is in goal is up to the task, because with Juventus continuing to win, Napoli cannot afford to drop any points right now.</p>
<h5>Projected Lineups Sure To Be Wrong</h5>
<p><b><a href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/serie-a/teams/udinese" class="sbn-auto-link">Udinese</a></b>: Karnezis; Heurtaux, Danilo, Felipe; Widmer, Kuzmanovic, Hallfredsson, Fernandes, Armero; Thereau, Zapata</p>
<p><b><a href="https://www.thesirenssong.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Napoli</a></b>: Gabriel; Hysaj, Albiol, Koulibaly, Ghoulam; Allan, Jorginho, Hamsik; Gabbiadini, Higuain, Insigne</p>
<h5>At A Glance</h5>
<p>Udinese: 16th; 8W 7D 15L; League Form: DLLWLL</p>
<p>Napoli: 2nd; 20W 7D 3L; League Form: WWWDDL</p>
<h5>Reverse Fixture: <a href="http://www.thesirenssong.com/2015/11/8/9691840/napoli-vs-udinese-final-score-result-recap-serie-a-2015/in/9455977" target="_blank">Napoli 1-0 Udinese</a>
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<p>It wasn't one of Napoli's prettiest wins of the season, but an incredible defensive performance meant that Napoli only needed one goal to win. Gonzalo Higuain was up to the task with a fantastic finish of an excellent through ball from Jorginho. Napoli were in the midst of their first climb up the table this season, and had a lot of tired legs just before a well-timed international break. This time, they're fresh coming <i>out</i> of an international break and arguably have even more momentum behind them.</p>
<h5>Watch It</h5>
<p><b>TV</b>: Sky Calcio 1 (Italy), BT Sport Europe (U.K.), RAI International</p>
<p><b>Online</b>: beIN Sports Connect (U.S. & Canada), Sky Go Italia (Italy)</p>
<p>Other live viewing options can be found <a target="_blank" href="http://www.livesoccertv.com/teams/italy/napoli/">here</a>, and as always, we'll have a match thread live here for discussion of the game at hand. You can also follow along with us live on <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/SirenSongNapoli">Twitter</a>, and we'll have updates of the most important events on our <a target="_blank" href="https://www.facebook.com/SirenSongNapoli">Facebook page</a>, which you should definitely like.</p>
https://www.thesirenssong.com/2016/4/3/11354236/udinese-napoli-match-preview-team-news-tv-schedule-how-to-watch-onlineConor Dowley2016-04-01T03:26:26+02:002016-04-01T03:26:26+02:00Reina a doubt against Udinese with injury
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<figcaption>Maurizio Lagana/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Napoli's top goalkeeper picked up the injury in training and put the club's other keepers on alert for this weekend's match.</p> <p>We might be seeing a different face than usual in goal for Napoli against <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/serie-a/teams/udinese" class="sbn-auto-link">Udinese</a>, after the team announced that <span>Pepe Reina</span> picked up <a target="_blank" href="http://www.sscnapoli.it/static/news/Napoli,-allenamento-pomeridiano,-lavoro-differenziato-per-Reina-8012.aspx">a calf injury in training</a> this week.</p>
<p>The timing of the news is more than a bit unfortunate -- most of <a href="https://www.thesirenssong.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Napoli's</a> players are only just coming back from international duty, so it further disrupts an already-abnormal training routing with the club right now. A calf injury is also a tough one for a goalkeeper to deal with, because of the quick-twitch pushoffs and adjustments they need to make that heavily utilize the muscle.</p>
<p><span>Rafael Cabral</span> and Gabriel were both mobilized into <a target="_blank" href="http://www.sscnapoli.it/static/news/Allenamento-speciale-per-i-portieri-azzurri-8149.aspx">a special extra goalkeeping training session</a> after the news, which is a smart plan for Napoli under the circumstances. Neither goalkeeper has gotten significant minutes this season or has played in months, and if they're going to be called into action they'll need all the extra training they can get in order to start building any kind of match sharpness.</p>
<p>Hopefully Reina recovers in time to be able to play because having him between the sticks gives Napoli a better chance of winning. Still, if his injury is still at all an issue come Sunday, the team should go with one of their backups, because risking making that injury worse and taking it from a short-term issue to a long-term one is something Napoli absolutely cannot afford right now.</p>
<p>Get some rest and heal quick, Reina. Napoli need you.</p>
https://www.thesirenssong.com/2016/4/1/11340888/pepe-reina-a-doubt-against-udinese-after-picking-up-injuryConor Dowley