Pundit praises ‘brave’ Fabregas, but Napoli collapse without Kvaratskhelia

epa11749445 Como 1907’s head coach Cesc Fabregas looks on prior to the Italian Serie A soccer match Como 1907 vs AC Monza at Giuseppe Sinigaglia stadium in Como, Italy, 30 November 2024. EPA-EFE/ROBERTO BREGANI

Napoli’s attacking stats have drastically worsened since Khvicha Kvaratskhelia joined PSG, but Italian pundits still praised ‘brave’ Como coach Cesc Fabregas after a 2-1 win over the Partenopei.

Napoli faced their first defeat in 13 away games on Sunday, suffering a 2-1 loss at Como.

The Partenopei relied on David Neres to replace Kvaratskhelia in January, but the Brazilian winger’s injury has forced Antonio Conte to switch to a three-man defence.

Pundit praises ‘brave’ Fabregas, but Napoli collapse without Kvaratskhelia

“Raspadori is at ease in a 3-5-2 system, but you lose Politano because he must defend across the whole flank,” Italy and Inter legend Beppe Bergomi told Sky Sport.

“Napoli’s first half was good. Really good. The wingers always played high up the pitch, there was big pressure.

“Como changed something in the opening 20 minutes of the second half; they were more aggressive. Napoli suffered, but they hit back and created their chances. The goalkeeper made a great save on McTominay,” continued Bergomi.

“Fabregas was brave with substitutions because he introduced a striker for a midfield and scored at that moment.”

Former Juventus midfielder Giancarlo Marocchi argued that Romelu Lukaku’s poor performances in recent weeks have affected the Partenopei. “Right now, he isn’t doing enough,” said the ex-Italian midfielder.

“Right now, we would expect something more.”

Sky Sport also showed a list of attacking stats comparing the first part of the season with Kvara on the team, to recent matches without the Georgian.

With Kvara among their ranks, Napoli were third in Serie A for goals scored, expected goals and chances created. They had more goal attempts and shots on target than any other team in the league and were second for touches inside the opponents’ box.

Their attacking stats drastically worsened without Kvaratskhelia, with Napoli sitting 14th for average expected goals (0.85), 16th for goal attempts (9.40), and 15th for big chances created (1.21).