Inter Milan vs. Napoli: Winners and Losers from Serie A Game
Inter Milan and Napoli played out a dramatic 2-2 draw at the Giuseppe Meazza on Sunday, a game both teams' managers likely needed to get something from in order to keep their respective jobs.
Only time—and the coming week—will tell whether Walter Mazzarri and Rafa Benitez keep their roles, after a dramatic final 15 minutes left both beleaguered managers wondering if they could have got even more out of the contest.
Inter generally enjoyed the better of the opening 78 minutes in Milan, hitting the woodwork on more than one occasion, but it was Napoli who took the lead against the run of play thanks to Jose Callejon. Substitute Fredy Guarin equalised moments later, before Callejon thought he had won the game for good with a fine second goal in the closing moments of the contest.
Fortunately for Mazzarri, there was to be one final twist in the tail, as Hernanes—perhaps the game's best player—headed home at the death to secure a draw. It was the least the hosts deserved.
Here are some of the winners and losers from a dramatic contest.
Winner: Walter Mazzarri
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Walter Mazzarri was sent to the stands by the referee toward the end of this game, after encroaching the field of play following his side's initial equaliser. To many, that will be taken as a clear manifestation of the pressure he is currently under, although in reality, it seemed to be more a case of overzealous officiating.
All the talk before this game focused on whether Mazzarri would be sacked if Inter fell to another defeat, and it twice looked like that was exactly the result that would be delivered. But with Inter owner Erik Thohir watching from the stands, Mazzarri saw his side dig deep not once but twice to save a point—the very least they deserved from a game in which they enjoyed the majority of the chances.
The result may not have helped Mazzarri's job prospects significantly, but the manner of the display surely will have helped his cause considerably. Based on that evidence, he certainly does not appear to have lost the dressing room, and if Thohir was considering a change before kick-off, he may be inclined to wait a few more weeks now.
The same cannot quite be said for Mazzarri's opposite number, Rafa Benitez, who will perhaps not know what to think after twice throwing away late leads in a game his side had no right to win, based on the opening 75 minutes. However, it is easy to guess what Benitez will be thinking: "They should have defended better at the death, and they should have held on for the windeserved or not."
It would be harsh to be sacked on the difference between a victory and a draw, but then football management has rarely been a "fair" industry.
Winner: Jose Callejon
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Jose Callejon took his record to seven goals in his last eight games for Napoli with a brace in this contest, two goals he must have thought would have been enough to earn his side all three points.
As team-mates Gonzalo Higuain and Lorenzo Insigne struggled to make an impact in front of goal, Callejon stepped up to the plate, taking advantage of Nemanja Vidic's mistake to break the deadlock with a clinical finish, exhibiting exactly the sort of confidence that has been missing from Higuain's game recently.
The second strike, in the final moments of the game, was even better—a sumptuous, controlled first-time volley past Samir Handanovic after David Lopez spotted his compatriot's sneaky run toward the far post.
As a team, Napoli are not playing well at the moment; as an individual, Callejon is on fire. Is he playing his way into Vicente del Bosque's Spain plans?
Losers: Marek Hamsik and Gonzalo Higuain
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While Callejon has seven goals in his last eight games, Gonzalo Higuain has scored exactly zero over the same span. The Argentine's most notable contribution on Sunday was to be booked for dissent, the second of two obvious displays of frustration (one in either half) that proved more telling than anything he did with the ball at his feet.
The striker is clearly unhappy, although whether that is just a natural byproduct of his current goal drought or a reflection of his true feelings about the manager remains to be seen. At the San Siro, he was subdued for almost the entire contest, to the detriment of his side's chances.
So too was Marek Hamsik, who was the first player to be substituted by Rafa Benitez as he looked to change the flow of the contest. The midfielder was outclassed by the closest thing to an opposite number in the Inter side, Hernanes, throughout, and his replacement, Jorginho, helped Napoli gain more control of the contest.
Hamsik may be a quality player, but he has the unfortunate habit of throwing in the odd anonymous performance. This was one of them.
Loser: Italian Players
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Just two Italian players started this game—the worst haul of homegrown players to start a Serie A game ever, bar Fiorentina's meeting with Inter last season (which had just one). Andrea Ranocchia of Inter and Lorenzo Insigne of Napoli were the two Italian players this time around, as the game was dominated by players from other nations.
It is often said that the Premier League is overrun by foreign talent at the expense of players born and developed in England, but this game served as a reminder that it is not a problem exclusive to the world's richest football league.
Winners: Viewers Who Watched This Game to the End
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For 78 minutes, this was what many would consider to be the stereotypical Serie A game—two ponderous, defensively minded sides cancelling each other out in a game of few, if any, clear-cut chances. For those watching on television, it was a chore to persevere with, almost an exercise in masochism.
Then, from seemingly nowhere, the game sparked into life in a frantic and enthralling final 15 minutes. With the fate of both managers seemingly on the line, the two sides landed blow and counterblow, with the final 2-2 scoreline something the television audience would scarcely have dreamt possible just 30 minutes earlier.
For those who had decided to sit through the whole thing, the conclusion was a fitting reward—with Callejon's second goal a particular highlight.
Loser: Nemanja Vidic
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His former centre-back partner at Manchester United was benched for his new team's game on Sunday, so by that yardstick, Nemanja Vidic has actually made a bright start to his new life at Inter Milan. Yet, while Rio Ferdinand's form this term has been sufficiently bad to see him dropped by QPR, Vidic's has not actually been that much better.
So far, there have been own goals, lapses in concentrations, penalties conceded and botched marking assignments. On Sunday there was another error—the Serbian failing to properly clear a long throw before Callejon ghosted in to lash home the loose ball and break the deadlock.
It was an additionally painful blow for Vidic, who had actually had a solid game up to that point—keeping Higuain quiet throughout, even if he had to resort to illegal means (not spotted by the referee) on occasions.
Nevertheless, his side's late attacking flurry spared further blushes for the ex-United defender, who will need to improve his performances in the coming weeks to fend off growing questions about his enduring ability.
The way Vidic and Ferdinand have been playing so far this season, it is a wonder Manchester United even managed to finish seventh last season.
