After all the hype, after all the excitement, Napoli are held to their first goalless draw of the season, at home by Fiorentina. The first half saw the partenopei bossed around by the visitors, who should have found the goal when a perfect chance fell to Adem Ljajić in the 38th minute. Ljajić placed it sky high, however, and Napoli’s clean sheet remained intact.
Napoli Vs. Fiorentina: The Case Of The Missing Marek Hamsik Leads To Goalless Draw
The second half was much brighter for the home side, who must have been instructed by Walter Mazzarri to keep the ball on the ground after spending much of the first 45 losing any ball adrift in the air. The passing was precise, but the home side really sparked after the 55th minute, when José Sosa was replaced by Hassan Yebda. Yebda took a deeper, more central role, and Napoli stopped losing balls on the flanks. Yet Napoli still could not manage to find the winner, unable to break down an organized Fiorentina side hellbent on closing down both Edinson Cavani and Ezequiel Lavezzi.
Paolo Cannavaro and Morgan De Sanctis deserve accolades for preserving Napoli's ninth clean sheet of the Serie A season, but this match was truly defined by absence: the missing Marek Hamšík. Just as Napoli failed to execute their free-flowing attack while Lavezzi was out with injury, so they failed during Hamšík's ban. Had Fiorentina needed to close down all three players, rather than simply concentrating on Lavezzi and Cavani, Napoli would have likely broken through. His play may not always be perfect, his passes not always spot on, but when he's not on the pitch, Napoli clearly miss their third musketeer.
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