Napoli and De Guzman Sink Young Boys: Winners and Losers from Europa League Game

Napoli comfortably defeated Young Boys 3-0 on Matchday 4 of the Europa League.

The win pushes the Partenopei up to second place, tied on points with leaders Sparta Prague.

Looking at the table, Napoli will qualify for the next round with a draw away to Sparta and a win over Slovan Bratislava at home.

Rafael Benitez’s men displayed a confident performance against Young Boys and have now only lost once in 10 matches.

The next few pages focus in on the winners and losers from this key match. 

Winner: Jonathan de Guzman

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Jonathan de Guzman was given a rare start in the No. 10 role for Napoli.

He made the most of it.

The Dutch international fired three past Young Boys to give his side a relaxed win.

The 27-year-old opened the scoring on the stroke of half-time—his cross sailing into the net after it was misread by the opposing goalkeeper.

De Guzman’s positioning for Napoli’s second was key. Striker Duvan Zapata made a long solo run, and as defenders were swarming him, he found his teammate alone in front of goal for a simple finish.

The midfielder was again in the right place at the right time for his third. Faozui Ghoulam’s delivery into the box was not properly cleared, and the ball fell to De Guzman. The Toronto-born player made no mistake as he placed his effort in the back of the net.

Speaking after the match (h/t Football Italia), the hat-trick hero told Sport Mediaset: "I am very happy with the goals, but we must continue to work hard. We played well in the last few games and that is very important for us."

Given De Guzman’s effectiveness in front of goal, Benitez may opt for the midfielder’s services on a more regular basis down the road. 

Winner: Napoli

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Coming off the back of a disappointing defeat away to Young Boys a fortnight ago, Napoli provided an excellent display in front of the tiny home crowd in attendance.

Napoli did well to keep possession and press intensely when they lost it, which was not often. WhoScored.com reports that the home side maintained 58 per cent of the ball.

Confident in possession, Lorenzo Insigne was at the centre of most of the Partenopei’s attacks, either breaking down the left flank or finding Dries Mertens in wide areas. The hometown hero caused the opposition defence trouble all night, recording two shots on goal and two key passes, also per WhoScored.com.

Surprisingly, the defence held up fairly well against the Swiss, and it was their second consecutive clean sheet in all competitions. Kalidou Koulibaly, Henrique and Giandomenico Mesto combined for 12 clearances, again per WhoScored.com. 

Winner: Rafael Benitez

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The biggest winner of all is Benitez.

The Spanish tactician’s side easily dominated their opponents, despite starting just three players who featured from the first minute against Roma.

After the match, a seemingly pleased Benitez told Sport Mediaset (h/t Football Italia): “It was a great performance despite the various changes.”

Benitez has been criticised in the past for tinkering with squads and coming up short, but his side’s strong performance helped stifle the critics. 

Loser: Napoli's Medical Staff

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Miguel Britos suffered a heavy blow to the head in the 17th minute, and his fall suggested the player was concussed.

Napoli’s medical staff examined the defender off the pitch and let him back on moments later. Seeing the type of damage Britos was dealt, the staff should have made the decision to deem the player unfit to continue.

Instead, Britos dazedly continued to play for roughly 20 more minutes. Ghoulam then replaced him at left-back.

Head injuries in the sport need to be taken more seriously. A quick check of the player’s reflexes should not determine whether he can continue.

In the future, players should be substituted off after sustaining a head injury. 

Loser: Young Boys

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With the loss, Young Boys now sit in third place on six points. Furthermore, the Swiss outfit have lost their head-to-head advantage over Napoli by losing 3-0—they won the last meeting 2-0.

This point will prove to be crucial when all matches are said and done, as Napoli, Sparta and Young Boys can all tie on 12 points.

A draw would have greatly increased their chances of qualification.