Of course not, but I share the opinion that this game was approached in a very weird way by Walter Mazzari. I don't know if this was incompetence by him or underestimation at its best, but how can a team like Napoli underestimate another team from Serie A. It is not like they played against a team from the Serie B or worse than that when it happens that the far superior favorite underestimates how hard it can be to beat those teams. Take Bayern as an example when they played against a 3. Bundesliga team and lost, but nobody would ever say that was on purpose. If that were true, the coach would get sacked immediately.
Shocking to see Napoli losing 4 nil to Frosinone and not been able to maintain consistent performance in the Seria A matches. Could it be that all these unplanned negative results happens because Luciano Spalleti steps down from managing the club? Though he resign and I'm confident Napoli will bounce back to winning matches but it will take lengthy period because we can never be too sure of these matches. Napoli headcoach,Walter Mazzarri have learnt his lesson and he will not give room for any poor performance from his team, he's aiming for the best spot on the table. 
Topic: Italian League Prediction Thread (Serie A) - page 1062. (Read 849936 times)
Napoli will find it difficult to enter the ranks of teams competing for the Scudetto this season because Napoli are already 14 points behind Inter Milan. We are like we were in last season where last season Napoli led the standing by far ahead of the second ranked team and that is the comparison that has happened to Napoli this season. There is no hope for Napoli to win the Scudetto this season, they are only focused on being in the top 4 because of their decline in performance which means they are not strong enough to compete for the title.
Napoli must target to finish in the top 4 only (UCL zone). They must be aware that they have no chance to join the race for the title. The point gap with Inter Milan and Juventus are too large, it is very unlikely to overtake their points. Moreover, Napoli also played inconsistently, no guarantee that they will always win the match this season. So, we all must agree about this, Napoli will never try to compete for the Scudetto. The reasonable target is surely just for the top 4, for the ticket of UCL next season.This season the Scudetto will belong to Inter Milan or Juventus because they are more ambitious to get it. Inter Milan performance this season cannot be stopped by any team, they are very strong and this season they have a greater chance of winning the Scudetto. Inter milan has Martinez and Thuram who have performed quite impressively compared to the stickers of other teams in this season.
Indeed. Only Inter Milan and Juventus are competing for the title now. These teams played more stable than other teams in Serie A. They also have better squad than other teams. So, it will be very difficult for other teams to overtake them in the top of Serie A standings. If there is no change in the second half of the season, I guess Inter Milan will win the Scudetto.
~
There never was an intention to get kicked out of the Coppa Italia competition as some people here argue because this cup can't be compared to the league cup in England, where they actually have like three cups or so? The Coppa Italia is the main Italian cup and no team would ever try to lose on purpose in order to be able to focus more on other competitions, that's bullshit. A team like Napoli, a Champions League contender, plans to get kicked out of the Coppa Italia... No, really never.
Of course not, but I share the opinion that this game was approached in a very weird way by Walter Mazzari. I don't know if this was incompetence by him or underestimation at its best, but how can a team like Napoli underestimate another team from Serie A. It is not like they played against a team from the Serie B or worse than that when it happens that the far superior favorite underestimates how hard it can be to beat those teams. Take Bayern as an example when they played against a 3. Bundesliga team and lost, but nobody would ever say that was on purpose. If that were true, the coach would get sacked immediately.
...
To me this is one of those coaching mistakes that I hate a lot. I don't understand why coaches choose to rotate in the worst moments possible and why they would risk losing a game that would get them into the next round of an important competition? If there is supposed to be rotation, I would always start with the best players I have available and I would take the game 100% seriously. Slow down when the lead is safe and there is no risk throwing a game like that way. Now the damage is done and there is no way back. There never was an intention to get kicked out of the Coppa Italia competition as some people here argue because this cup can't be compared to the league cup in England, where they actually have like three cups or so? The Coppa Italia is the main Italian cup and no team would ever try to lose on purpose in order to be able to focus more on other competitions, that's bullshit. A team like Napoli, a Champions League contender, plans to get kicked out of the Coppa Italia... No, really never.
Well, Napoli would definitely compete but I doubt they'll be able to win either of the champions league or Serie A. They're just not good enough this season to win either of those trophies.
With the kind of form they ended last season with, it was obvious to me Napoli was going to struggle this season. They really struggled towards the end of last season after they won the league and I knew they'll take that form into the next season and the have.
It happened to Inter Milan, then AC Milan and now Napoli. When these teams when the league the previous season, they mostly flip the next season.
Even if Napoli was in form, I doubt Inter is in the mood to let anyone go above them and win the Seria A this season.
Napoli will find it difficult to enter the ranks of teams competing for the Scudetto this season because Napoli are already 14 points behind Inter Milan. We are like we were in last season where last season Napoli led the standing by far ahead of the second ranked team and that is the comparison that has happened to Napoli this season. There is no hope for Napoli to win the Scudetto this season, they are only focused on being in the top 4 because of their decline in performance which means they are not strong enough to compete for the title.With the kind of form they ended last season with, it was obvious to me Napoli was going to struggle this season. They really struggled towards the end of last season after they won the league and I knew they'll take that form into the next season and the have.
It happened to Inter Milan, then AC Milan and now Napoli. When these teams when the league the previous season, they mostly flip the next season.
Even if Napoli was in form, I doubt Inter is in the mood to let anyone go above them and win the Seria A this season.
This season the Scudetto will belong to Inter Milan or Juventus because they are more ambitious to get it. Inter Milan performance this season cannot be stopped by any team, they are very strong and this season they have a greater chance of winning the Scudetto. Inter milan has Martinez and Thuram who have performed quite impressively compared to the stickers of other teams in this season.
Inter Milan have undoubtedly been the most consistent Italian team both in the Italian Serie A and in the UEFA Champions League competition since the start of the season but with their performance against Bologna in their Coppa Italia game yesterday at the San Siro, I think Simone Inzaghi's team are probably not interested in the Italian league cup trophy this season.
Though it's absolutely possible for them to win the UEFA Champions League, Italian Serie A and the Coppa Italia just like they did in 2009/10 season but I think they've decided to focus more on the UEFA Champions League and the Italian Serie A as it'll be more energy consuming for them to want to win the three competitions.
Simone Inzaghi played an important role in Inter Milan's success, which made them sit at number one at the top of the standings, while in the UEFA Champions League competition, Inter Milan have not lost and have managed to maintain their performance well.There is still a long way to go in these two competitions, so Simone Inzaghi must continue to try to maintain the strategy he uses to always win in the upcoming matches. Though it's absolutely possible for them to win the UEFA Champions League, Italian Serie A and the Coppa Italia just like they did in 2009/10 season but I think they've decided to focus more on the UEFA Champions League and the Italian Serie A as it'll be more energy consuming for them to want to win the three competitions.
Yeah, 14 points behind it is almost impossible for Napoli to catch up especially with inconsistent performance while their competitors continue to advance by collecting points from each game obviously Napoli have no chance for the title this season, as you said even for the Champions League it is uncertain and if it's true that next season Napoli will not get a ticket to the Champions League then I'm sure their mainstay player will move moreover Osimhen is now uncomfortable there because of internal conflict. This week Napoli will come to the Stadio Olimpico to face AS Roma and I think Napoli will lose more points at the same time AS Roma will take over Napoli position in the 5th place, I did not underestimate Napoli but Roma could be relied upon when playing at home.
Left 14 points from Inter Milan, I doubt Napoli has opportunity returning back to Scudetto tittle race in this season due still inconsistency performance in this season. Raise top fourth standings not difficult yet for Napoli because remaining one point left from Bologna and have many matches left in domestic league not close for top fourth standing target. Next match, Napoli will face AS Roma and need recovery their inconsistency performance after eliminating from Copa Italia round of 16 and need get three points how to be close points with top Serie A standing teams. AS Roma on bad trend performance after defeating by Bologna last match, if get three points achieving will make Napoli opportunity return to top fourth standings will be easy.
I have already said this many other times that Napoli got definitely no chance to win the Serie A title as they won in the last season because compared to the all other teams in this season, Napoli lost much power, and other teams like Juventus and Inter Milan are now even more stable and stronger than last season which means they can have more chance to win the title during this season.
Inter Milan even after losing Lukaku is performing very well and they are definitely in the form in which they can have the same good performance they had in the last season.
Actually looking at what they did especially after relinquishing the Italian Cup then the focus must be on both although it's still very risky for them but i think they will still try to appear in Serie A and the Champions League.
Well, Napoli would definitely compete but I doubt they'll be able to win either of the champions league or Serie A. They're just not good enough this season to win either of those trophies.
With the kind of form they ended last season with, it was obvious to me Napoli was going to struggle this season. They really struggled towards the end of last season after they won the league and I knew they'll take that form into the next season and the have.
It happened to Inter Milan, then AC Milan and now Napoli. When these teams when the league the previous season, they mostly flip the next season.
Even if Napoli was in form, I doubt Inter is in the mood to let anyone go above them and win the Seria A this season.
Friday 22nd December
Empoli 17:30 Lazio
Sassuolo 17:30 Genoa
Monza 19:45 Fiorentina
Salernitana 19:45 AC Milan
Saturday 23rd December
Frosinone 11:30 Juventus
Bologna 14:00 Atalanta
Torino 14:00 Udinese
Inter Milan 17:00 Lecce
Verona 17:00 Cagliari
Roma 19:45 Napoli
Source https://www.skysports.com/serie-a-fixtures
Roma Napoli game of the day between 2 teams in a bad shape
Empoli 17:30 Lazio
Sassuolo 17:30 Genoa
Monza 19:45 Fiorentina
Salernitana 19:45 AC Milan
Saturday 23rd December
Frosinone 11:30 Juventus
Bologna 14:00 Atalanta
Torino 14:00 Udinese
Inter Milan 17:00 Lecce
Verona 17:00 Cagliari
Roma 19:45 Napoli
Source https://www.skysports.com/serie-a-fixtures
Roma Napoli game of the day between 2 teams in a bad shape
It is my opinion that Roma will find it extremely difficult to move up in the league table given that they lost the chance to drop to fourth place. Napoli, on the other hand, is currently in fifth place with Bologna leading the team by just one point. I believe Napoli will not want to let this happen, even though I am aware of their occasional struggles, but Roma's performance is not as strong as Napoli's, and their players especially Osimhen is in excellent form right now.
But I've been wondering: Is it because Lukaku and Dybala aren't playing for Roma anymore because I haven't seen their performance like it used to be? It's been like five games since I last saw Lukaku score goals, and he's Roma's star player. Did something happen to Lukaku and Dybala because their performance isn't as good as it used to be? Roma's performance is looking pretty bad because they were in position 4 before and are now in position 8, which is extremely poor.
Mourinho needs to step up his game and save this already falling Roma side, Napoli has risen through their down times and star man, Osimhen has done excellently well by partnering with his team mates to save the team’s face, now Roma should take cue from them and do something else it gets late and they don’t get any European spot next season, well I believe Jose Mourinho would figure out something soon.
-snip-.
I will never understand why some people think that sports professionals get disturbed when they play in the biggest competitions possible. There is a strong team playing in the Champions League for good reasons and instead of saying that this will motivate them to dominate across all competitions, people think that they would be distracted. Is there some logic behind that which I don't understand? A team that is good enough to win everything becomes weaker because they compete for everything... Talking about doubts actually in this case I saw from the beginning when Spalleti left that many doubted Napoli because they would experience a transition and it did happen and after a few games done at the beginning of the season towards the middle of the season now it continues and surely the doubts continue to grow as time goes by.
Yeah, because this doubt is quite basic. how we see Napoli's condition this season, how they failed with the first coach who replaced Spalletti, and how they also failed several times even when there was a new coach, Mazzarri. This time it will be very difficult for Napoli to win the Schudetto title again. This seems impossible... 
Bologna are playing really well at the moment, but I think Inter just decided not to fight in the Cup. Just like Napoli, only Napoli did it blatantly. Now top clubs have other tasks in domestic leagues and Champions League. So they don't need the extra pressure.
Extra pressure is not needed by the top teams at this time because on the one hand they also want to protect their players for the more crucial matches this season. But in general, all teams will definitely not ignore their wins against any team because every win will always result in more points and make them stronger in the top position. We can see an example in the Bologna team who are currently in the top four of the standings thanks to their own determination in winning the match.Napoli, inter Milan and Juventus needs to watch out for bologna because they may gradually overtake them to the top but then I doubt if teams like inter Milan will just let such happen easily because they want to win the league title aswell regardless of their participating in the UCL aswell, Juventus is also chasing to get the league title aswell which is definitely priority to them because they have no other competition they are participating in, bologna may just end up amongst the top five by the end of the season.
We don't know that yet, we just have to keep on accessing the situation and how they go until tue last few games of the season. They could do better and improve their house things can as well go sideways but we'll seen. They'll be against Atalanta who won four goals to one during the last game. I'm suspecting they would share points against Atalanta.
For Frosinone against Juventus, let's see how they try to repeat that same score against Juventus. They got to trash Napoli during the cup games. I want to see if they're strong enough to run down Juventus defense with four goals. Difficult for them ain't it?
Regardless of whether it was intentional or not, it was still quite disturbing to lose so badly even in a match that didn't really matter against a club that was weaker than them in every way, which was quite disappointing and a disgrace for a big club.
Indeed, for their reasons in this case it is quite understandable because the current situation they are still not very good in Serie A and prefer to look for better opportunities, namely the Champions League and Serie A rather than the Italian Cup but if this is deliberately losing with an embarrassing score like this I think something is not too wrong in the body of Napoli even though we know most of the players are young players who are given more opportunities to show their skills on the field.
I'm sure a lot of people have lost faith in Napoli this season, the way they were eliminated in the Coppa Italia cannot be accepted by common sense. How could the goal margin reach 4-0, that is very embarrassing and raises a lot of questions. Choosing to be eliminated in the Italian Cup is not a good idea, because who knows, that is the most realistic trophy that can be achieved this season.Indeed, for their reasons in this case it is quite understandable because the current situation they are still not very good in Serie A and prefer to look for better opportunities, namely the Champions League and Serie A rather than the Italian Cup but if this is deliberately losing with an embarrassing score like this I think something is not too wrong in the body of Napoli even though we know most of the players are young players who are given more opportunities to show their skills on the field.
Mazzarri is not a good successor in replacing Garcia, in fact I think Garcia quality is still better than him. This is what most people worry about, that changing coaches does not guarantee that everything will be better, Mazzarri proved this to be true by making Napoli lose one competition.
In Serie A, I think Napoli only has a chance to finish in the UCL zone, while talking about defending the Scudetto is over. I mean it is no longer possible to catch up on points from Inter, especially if Napoli management releases Osimhen in the January transfer window, that will be a setback for Napoli.
Napoli currently have a very small chance of retaining their Scudetto especially with their current form but on the other hand there could be a miracle by expecting a lot of instability for some of the big clubs above them while they improve themselves even though it is mission impossible.
But even so, their target to be in the Champions League next season must at least be maintained even if they cannot defend the Scudetto they got last season.
Napoli, inter Milan and Juventus needs to watch out for bologna because they may gradually overtake them to the top but then I doubt if teams like inter Milan will just let such happen easily because they want to win the league title aswell regardless of their participating in the UCL aswell, Juventus is also chasing to get the league title aswell which is definitely priority to them because they have no other competition they are participating in, bologna may just end up amongst the top five by the end of the season.
Bologna has been doing an awesome job in their recent matches, and they seem super excited about winning. However, reaching the second spot in the Serie A competition might be a bit tricky. You see, the teams at the very top of the table, like Inter Milan and Juventus, have a pretty big lead in points. It's like they're way ahead in a race, and catching up could be tough.
Sure, Bologna is putting in a lot of effort and staying consistent, but Inter Milan and Juventus are not slacking off either. They also really, really want to win the Serie A this season. Now, you mentioned that if Bologna keeps up their fantastic playing style until the end of the season, they might end up in the top four of the Serie A table.
Napoli, inter Milan and Juventus needs to watch out for bologna because they may gradually overtake them to the top but then I doubt if teams like inter Milan will just let such happen easily because they want to win the league title aswell regardless of their participating in the UCL aswell, Juventus is also chasing to get the league title aswell which is definitely priority to them because they have no other competition they are participating in, bologna may just end up amongst the top five by the end of the season.
I agree if the top teams in Serie A must be careful when they play against Bologna. This team often made difficulty for the top teams to get full points. They could get a draw against Juventus, Inter Milan, and Napoli. And they even could beat Lazio and AS Roma. The top teams in Serie A can't underestimate Bologna, they are very unpredictable.Sure, it won't be easy to overtake AC Milan, Juventus, and Inter Milan. The point gap is quite large and Bologna seems not to always perform convincingly in every match. However, it is true that the chance to finish in the top 4 (UCL zone) is not impossible. Moreover, the teams like Napoli, Fiorentina, Atalanta, Lazio, and AS Roma performed very unstable. So, it just increased the chance for Bologna to survive in the top 4 of Serie A standings.
For me, Atalanta still looks to be the better team even though Bologna is ahead of them for some reason. I have no idea why I feel that way but I just feel that way and I think it is going to be quite tough to make sure that it is not going to be all that easy, and we need to make sure that it is going to be something acceptable. I get that it is not going to be all that easy for Atalanta to win this game but I believe they might.
This is of course personal opinion and I will bet on them to win but there is a big chance that I could be wrong. The whole world thinks that they are quite equally matched and a tie wouldn't shock anyone, they are playing against each other at a point in time when they both look like they are at the same level.
there was a season in which my beloved Atalanta also went to the Champions League, don't underestimate this team
Now it's in the reconstruction cycle, it does this like a sort of rubber band with the aim of strengthening itself more and more
For a while he went up and down from Serie B to Serie A
At least, from the results of away matches so far this season too, at least Atalanta does not have quite good results because after all, of the 8 away matches of Atalanta so far. In fact, Atalanta only get 3 wins, 1 draw and 4 losses and about Bologna's 8 home matches so far this season. In fact, Bologna managed to make 6 wins, 1 draw and 1 loss.
With a record like that, I think it's natural, if for example Bologna is still quite favored in this match. But indeed, although Bologna is still quite favored, it will not be easy and does not fully guarantee Bologna to win. But related to these factors, at least I am still confident that Bologna is unlikely to be easily defeated by Atalanta and thus, I will still choose Bologna in this match.
For me, Atalanta still looks to be the better team even though Bologna is ahead of them for some reason. I have no idea why I feel that way but I just feel that way and I think it is going to be quite tough to make sure that it is not going to be all that easy, and we need to make sure that it is going to be something acceptable. I get that it is not going to be all that easy for Atalanta to win this game but I believe they might.
This is of course personal opinion and I will bet on them to win but there is a big chance that I could be wrong. The whole world thinks that they are quite equally matched and a tie wouldn't shock anyone, they are playing against each other at a point in time when they both look like they are at the same level.
there was a season in which my beloved Atalanta also went to the Champions League, don't underestimate this team
Now it's in the reconstruction cycle, it does this like a sort of rubber band with the aim of strengthening itself more and more
For a while he went up and down from Serie B to Serie A
Two weeks ago Roma managed to be in the top 4 but they failed to maintain that place and had to be dropped in 8th place in the standings. This was because they achieved two less than optimal results in the previous match, such as losing to Bologna and also drawing against Fiorentina. Roma's current position is very much in decline this week because they only have a 2 point advantage over Torino and they could go down again this week.
It's not easy for Roma because their next opponent is Napoli and even though Napoli have not been consistent so far, they will also try to steal 3 points at home to Roma and at the same time put them in the top 4 by overtaking Bologna. In this match, I'm not sure Roma will win and it might be a narrow victory for Napoli.
In fact, I dont understand what happened, why Roma had such an incredible decline in terms of performance in terms of victoriesIt's not easy for Roma because their next opponent is Napoli and even though Napoli have not been consistent so far, they will also try to steal 3 points at home to Roma and at the same time put them in the top 4 by overtaking Bologna. In this match, I'm not sure Roma will win and it might be a narrow victory for Napoli.
we have had difficult matches, without a doubt, but the drop is very strong I must say
difficult match only?
For me, Atalanta still looks to be the better team even though Bologna is ahead of them for some reason. I have no idea why I feel that way but I just feel that way and I think it is going to be quite tough to make sure that it is not going to be all that easy, and we need to make sure that it is going to be something acceptable. I get that it is not going to be all that easy for Atalanta to win this game but I believe they might.
This is of course personal opinion and I will bet on them to win but there is a big chance that I could be wrong. The whole world thinks that they are quite equally matched and a tie wouldn't shock anyone, they are playing against each other at a point in time when they both look like they are at the same level.
Atalanta performance in this season not better than Bologna success break out to the top fourth standings, in domestic league performance Bologna get better result with two losses regarding with Atalanta got losses 6 of 16 matches. Current position Bologna on the higher standing remaining two points left and have been qualified to quarter final round in Copa Italia. Few hours later, Atalanta will face Sassuolo and lest waiting result the match will Atalanta qualify to quarter final round or have eliminate by Sassuolo. This is of course personal opinion and I will bet on them to win but there is a big chance that I could be wrong. The whole world thinks that they are quite equally matched and a tie wouldn't shock anyone, they are playing against each other at a point in time when they both look like they are at the same level.
Both teams Atalanta and Bologna can improving their current position standing and not close with Atalanta will raise higher position from bologna because Serie A get many matches left.
Quote from: rendravolt
Two weeks ago Roma managed to be in the top 4 but they failed to maintain that place and had to be dropped in 8th place in the standings. This was because they achieved two less than optimal results in the previous match, such as losing to Bologna and also drawing against Fiorentina. Roma's current position is very much in decline this week because they only have a 2 point advantage over Torino and they could go down again this week.
It's not easy for Roma because their next opponent is Napoli and even though Napoli have not been consistent so far, they will also try to steal 3 points at home to Roma and at the same time put them in the top 4 by overtaking Bologna. In this match, I'm not sure Roma will win and it might be a narrow victory for Napoli.
The reason why Roma drop down below 4th position in the Italy serie A because, some of their players were experiencing some injuries that made those games not to go well the way it went to make Roma team look like weak team in this season. Roma will be my favorite team in this game and they have squads that will make way when there is no way in this game just to achieve victory from Napoli that will make people to believe that they are not far from 3rd position in the Italy serie A table.It's not easy for Roma because their next opponent is Napoli and even though Napoli have not been consistent so far, they will also try to steal 3 points at home to Roma and at the same time put them in the top 4 by overtaking Bologna. In this match, I'm not sure Roma will win and it might be a narrow victory for Napoli.
Since Napoli have some problem that is not yet solve by their coach and is causing Napoli not to come close to second position and first position because, Inter and Juventus are occupied those positions and they are very ready to ment For final if they can maintain their consistent winning.
Napoli will not be able to enter the competition this season because not only do they have a big gap with Inter but they are also starting to lose what they had last season and just being able to get a place in the Champions League next season is already their best achievement.
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