For Conte he was just a luxury supporting player during the first round. In the absence of wingers, the Brazilian turned on himself in Florence: his goal is a signal for the Napoli to come
A month ago, in Portugal, the local press asked a question that was understood, but perhaps not shared too much. For what reason, he wondered In BolaNeres played so little for Napoli, even though they were still leading the championship. “Since he arrived in European football in 2016 with Ajax, he has never had an average playing time as low as that with Conte: he was used almost half of the time last season at Benfica” we read, in a statistic which actually didn’t leave much room for interpretation. In the magical evening of the Azzurri at the Franchi, there were not only three very important points. Above all, there is a renewed awareness of the Brazilian’s qualities, which places him in a different status. He is no longer the luxury supporting character sacrificed on the altar of Conte’s pragmatism, who found one of his loyalists in Politano. Neres today is an added starter, who in the not too distant future could also become the guarantee of a sustainable future.
question of wings
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It is impossible, in fact, not to link his consideration to the exhausting negotiation for the renewal of Kvaratskhelia. Neither Giuntoli before nor Manna now have come to terms with the problem. It is not possible to find a meeting point and the deadlines for reaching an agreement are systematically extended at will. However, if for Osimhen – who would have remained outside the squad in Naples this year – the profile of a replacement (Lukaku) was already well defined in everyone’s imagination, the same could not be said of the Georgian. Today, after yet another decisive performance, it can be said that, in the event of Kvaratskhelia’s farewell, the sporting director will not have to look too far to re-establish the balance of the squad. He got on with the job, essentially, when he snatched Neres from Benfica for €28 million plus bonuses.
the neres numbers
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Don’t be fooled by the prowess with which he opened the scoring in Florence. Certain speeches are not supported by the charm of suggestion, on the contrary. In support there are the numbers, anything but cold in this case. Although Neres has only played in 7 of the 19 matches of the season from the first minute, for a total of 728 minutes, he has 3 goals and 7 assists to his credit. He is in double figures for goals he has been involved in. He scores or serves a decisive pass approximately every 73 minutes. It’s a tax for every defense. And Fiorentina’s was no exception, disoriented by the delicacy of his movements and the power of his right foot. Just the Kvaratskhelia way.
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