Mostafa, Napoli fan

In a straightforward match where Napoli finished with four goals and a clean sheet, they could have easily conceded two goals had they been playing a better team. Not to mention, of course, Genk’s goalie was seventeen years old, debuting in the Champions League for the first time. Napoli were good for the win, but this will probably be the easiest match of their season.

So what now? Napoli are off to the Round of 16 in t the Champions League after missing out on it for two consecutive seasons, and the official rebuild begins from here. Five key points will define how Napoli operate for the rest of the season, and potentially for seasons to come.

Recruitment: With a new coach in town on a six-month deal with an option to extend for a further twelve months, Napoli cannot afford to build there new recruitment plan solely based on Gattuso’s philosophy. It should be taken into account, for sure, but there are some key problems Napoli must address regardless of who is coaching come next August.

A left back is an absolute must. This season Hysaj, Di Lorenzo, Luperto, Rui, and Ghoulam have all played left back. Ghoulam, for all his heroics, cannot be relied on at the moment. Rui, on the other hand, cannot carry the burden of left back on his own, especially given some of his lapses in concentration in defense. A young, strong, promising left back is needed, preferably in January.

A center midfielder, preferably a regista, is also needed. Gattuso aims to play with a 4-3-3 for the rest of the season, which means we have four midfielders for three positions, one of whom is a youngster with little experience in Serie A. It should also be noted that none of these players are out and out registas, and for a 4-3-3 to work we will need a superb passer in front of the defense if we are to get things clicking again.

An attacker must be signed, if not now, then definitely in the summer. Mertens and Callejon, at the time of writing, are almost certain to leave the club. Milik, for all his heroics in matches without pressure, is usually injured. Llorente cannot be relied upon beyond this season, and Amin Younes, well, is a Napoli player. Adam Ounas should ostensibly return next year to the club, which means if Insigne does stay, we need a striker who can be relied upon. For the time being, however, this one can wait until summer.

Grinta

There used to be a pride in playing for Napoli, a grit and fight that made the San Paolo one of the most feared venues across Europe. Regardless of the reasons, that fear factor has waned somewhat over the last two seasons; the San Paolo is no longer a volcano, and the players don’t have that passion anymore. Gattuso should knock some sense into the players, but at the end of the day, these players should be proud of playing for the light blue of the Azzuri. It will be interesting to see how the players play on Saturday.

Ciao Ancelotti

There was never any doubt over Ancelotti’s class and history, but something did not work out with him in the team. A bit more clarity and time is needed to fully assess the situation with a cool head to understand why things unraveled the way they did, but few can argue it was time for him to go.

Having said that, Ancelotti is not the root of all of Napoli’s problems, and Gattuso will not be the answer to all of Napoli’s problems either. This rebuild will take time, and its success or lack of thereof will depend on many things, only one of which is the manager. Gattuso

The first decision Gattuso took upon being announced as manager was declaring a withdrawal, with double trainings every day until the match against Parma. Needless to say, there was no mutiny this time around. The first indicators are that he will play with a 4-3-3, but it should be interesting to see the style we play with. It is unlikely, however, we see effort levels similar to the ones seen in the Autumn months after the win against Liverpool. I am optimistic, if nothing else, the players will run themselves into the ground on a weekly basis moving forward. K2 and Manolas

In a recent analysis done on the average goals conceded between center back pairings, Koulibaly and Manolas rated last in Serie A with an average of 1.9 goals conceded per game.

Last.

This partnership has failed emphatically up until now, but perhaps due to the struggles in the rest of the team, it has not received adequate attention. It has hardly been helped by Manolas’s persistent injuries and Koulibaly’s lack of preseason, but this is a problem that must be fixed if we harbor any hopes of regaining that top four position. It is not due to a lack of effort as much as it is a tactical issue, but the sooner we fix this problem the sooner we can start being comfortable in games. If we can start grinding out clean sheets, we give ourselves a much better chance of winning.

The goal of the rest of the season is clear: A champions league place. Napoli are behind, very behind, with issues left, right, and center, but since when have we ever made it easy for ourselves? Saturday Parma arrive to the San Paolo. A jam-packed stadium with an emphatic performance will send out a message to the rest of the league, and perhaps, if repeated in December and January, the same message will resonate to the rest of Europe as well.

An angry Napoli is the last team on earth you want to face.