With the international break behind us, we’re back in league action on matchday 30 of Serie A: on Sunday evening, it’ll be Napoli v AC Milan. The Rossoneri have to pick back up in the hunt for the top reaches of the table after the comeback wins over Como and Lecce. On the other hand, Antonio Conte’s Napoli need to refind some solidity and consistency from the start of the season given the run in the last seven games: one win, one defeat and five draws. The table is clear: AC Milan are 9th on 47 points whilst the Azzurri are 2nd on 61. However, the draw of this key game remains intact.
The reverse fixture at San Siro saw Napoli win 2-0, putting in a solid and cynical performance. AC Milan kept hold of the ball for long stretches of play, but Conte’s team knew how to make the most of key moments, which is a testament to their efficiency away from home. Despite the results of the last month, the Coach clearly knows how to pull teams into his mentality, based on organisation and pragmatism: with the league still wide open, the Azzurri will want to secure their spot amongst the top sides and fight for the title, just like in 2022/23.
At this point of the season, it is no secret how Napoli play: the low set-up, direct play and lightning-fast restarts allow them to be dangerous on the counter. Despite heading into the final run-in, Conte hasn’t settled on a 4-3-3, which has given them defensive solidity in many games, or on a 3-5-2, something he favours. Di Lorenzo and Spinazzola allow them to adapt the set-up based on the required tactics, with the captain often sent to play on the right of the three-man backline.
The meticulous search for the right balance between forward play and sitting deep means this side still has something incomplete, looking for the right combination to solidify the defence. One striking statistic is that the Azzurri, despite having the best defence in Serie A with 23 goals conceded, have not kept a clean sheet in nine games (the last being on January 12 against Hellas Verona): almost two months since they went without conceding, an unprecedented stat for Conte’s side. Another surprising statistic concerns the way in which Napoli have been conceding these goals. 9 of the 23 goals have come from outside of the box: that is 40% of goals conceded. This highlights a vulnerability at the back and a difficulty in defending further forwards.
The focal point of play is still Romelu Lukaku: a student of Conte who is having a big impact on the Napoli attack, scoring 10 goals and 8 assists. This last statistic sees him top equal with Nuno Tavares. Physical, fast in open play, the Belgian forward is certainly key in developing the Azzurri moves. Moreover, Lukaku is the Napoli player to have been most caught offside (17), a sign of his constant runs in.
The other key feature in the tactical set-up is Scott McTominay. The former Manchester United player makes a consistent contribution to both phases of play thanks to his athletic abilities: 6 goals and 2 assists, as well as winning 151 duels. At the moment, he is the Napoli player to have attempted the most dribbles (63) and been fouled the most (43), a sign of his offensive skills. Moreover, he sets himself apart in terms of tackles won, confirming his defensive importance, as well as his contribution to breaking up the opposition lines with key passes. Together with Lobotka and Zambo Anguissa, the Scotsman’s skills ensure that the Napoli midfield is one of the toughest to face in Serie A. Another challenge for Reijnders and co. to overcome.
There’s been a lot of talk about expectations for the United States men’s national team, and we’ve happily engaged in those discussions (see above video), but what is reasonable for Mauricio Pochettino’s Yanks?
After all, this team’s upward trajectory may have stalled when it comes to performances in high-profile tournaments — the 2014 World Cup and 2009 Confederations Cup at times feel like a different century not the previous decades.
But the collective talent on this team is massive, with both MLS and European academies churning out American talent while some of the biggest clubs in the world count on Americans in big spots: Christian Pulisic, Yunus Musah, Weston McKennie, and Timothy Weah are chewing up minutes for two of Italy’s biggest clubs, while Tyler Adams, Johnny Cardoso, and Antonee Robinson are mainstays at good-performing clubs in the Premier League and La Liga.
On the latest ProSoccerTalk episode, Joe Prince-Wright, Andy Edwards, and I discussed the expectations for the USMNT and if they are too high. I argued that it depends on your expectations, contending that the USMNT’s goals should be to be the dominant program in CONCACAF and to contend in knockout round games at World Cups and Copas America.
But is that fair? Mexico is in a down period but remain just ahead of the USMNT in world renown, while Canada have been punching above their weight and Jamaica is harvesting dual-national talent from England and has some real stars.
So let’s attempt an exercise in perspective: Where do the USMNT’s best players rank amongst the very best in CONCACAF?
Pretty high.
This is a list that could change within a month’s notice — In fact, Alphonso Davies is only here out of honor given his ACL tear suffered against the USMNT. Giovanni Reyna is, at the moment, missing from the list despite a talent level and history that demands top-15 rating, but his past two seasons have been quite poor. Sergino Dest is just coming back from a long injury lay-off and Michail Antonio is in the middle of a long absence. Hirving Lozano has moved to MLS and needs to re-establish his star status in San Diego.
This list tries to strike a balance between production, form, earned reputation, and common sense. Sheraldo Becker makes the list even though he’s far down Real Sociedad’s depth chart, as his Union Berlin exploits haven’t disintegrated in the memory.
30. Sheraldo Becker (Suriname, Real Sociedad)
29. Luis Romo (Mexico, Chivas Guadalajara)
28. Alex Zendejas (USMNT, Club America)
27. Tanner Tessmann (USMNT, Lyon)
26. Adalberto Carrasquilla (Panama, UNAM Pumas)
25. Moise Bombito (Canada, Nice)
24. Ethan Pinnock (Jamaica, Brentford)
23. Michael Murillo (Panama, Marseille)
22. Alonso Martinez (Costa Rica, NYCFC)
21. Ricardo Pepi (USMNT, PSV Eindhoven)
A lot of form guys here. Martinez and Zendejas have been red hot. Moise Bombito’s advanced stats aren’t screaming off the page but his reputation is growing in Ligue 1. Pepi’s struggled with injuries and was not a regular starter but his insane super sub numbers — 18 goals and three assists in only 1,132 minutes — cannot be ignored on this list.
20. Chris Richards (USMNT, Crystal Palace)
19. Alexis Vega (Mexico, Toluca)
18. Folarin Balogun (USMNT, Monaco)
17. Yunus Musah (USMNT, AC Milan)
16. Stephen Eustaquio (Canada, Porto)
15. Johnny Cardoso (USMNT, Real Betis)
14. Malik Tillman (USMNT, PSV Eindhoven)
13. Edson Alvarez (Mexico, West Ham)
12. Weston McKennie (USMNT, Juventus)
11. Johan Vasquez (Mexico, Genoa)
Vega is another form guy, while Richards continues to improve under Oliver Glasner at Palace even if his USMNT’s performances haven’t always (often?) hit that level. Balogun badly needs to get healthy. Then comes the glut of USMNT midfielders. Vasquez is in brilliant form for Genoa and at 26 years old is the best center back in the confederation by some distance.
10. Timothy Weah (USMNT, Juventus)
9. Leon Bailey (Jamaica, Aston Villa)
8. Manfred Ugalde (Costa Rica, Spartak Moscow)
7. Raul Jimenez (Mexico, Fulham)
6. Tyler Adams (USMNT, Bournemouth)
5. Santiago Gimenez (Mexico, AC Milan)
4. Antonee Robinson (USMNT, Fulham)
3. Jonathan David (Canada, Lille)
2. Christian Pulisic (USMNT, AC Milan)
1. Alphonso Davies (Canada, Bayern Munich
Bailey needs to find more production to stay in the top 20, let alone the top 10, but he is behind talented players at Villa. Ugalde is a wild card given the Russian league’s invisibility outside of, well, Russia — He does have a goal for Los Ticos against Argentina. Adams has a claim to top-4 status and should have plenty of chances to rise up the list should he stay healthy. Gimenez might be a bit too high on this list but he’s off to a solid start in Milan after ridiculous showings in the Eredivisie. CONCACAF has two of the best left backs in the world in Robinson and Davies, the latter of whom barely edges Pulisic on the consistent stardom he’s shown for a half-decade in the Bundesliga.
