Four recent clean sheets, the last two in a row, are somewhat restoring the balance of the Napoli goal all too violated this season. Carlo Ancelotti started in August with 7 goals conceded in 2 games. Then he found always fairly precarious balances and in his 21 seasonal games Napoli suffered 23 goals, remaining with the clean sheet 7 times, therefore one in three. With Rino Gattuso the averages do not change much: 15 goals conceded in 12 games and 4 of these with the undefeated goalkeeper. What inspires optimism is the trend the team is taking, especially in the approach and concentration on the race.

DIFFERENT ATTITUDE - Be the first to comment Having said that the first not to trust is Rino Gattuso, who has repeated it clearly, thus trying to stimulate his own. After the umpteenth internal patatrac against Lecce (3 goals taken but above all 10 shots on target, as the coach himself pointed out) the defensive attitude seems to have changed. Gattuso trains and demands from his team a construction from below which, while hiding several risks, Napoli managed to apply without errors especially to Meazza against Inter in the Italian Cup but also to the Sardinia Arena against Cagliari. From a long and decidedly unspectacular ball possession, Napoli is drawing medicine to find security and conviction in the defensive phase. It follows that even in the non-possession phase, with narrow and low lines, the team risked very little and the clean sheets were the natural outlet.

RECORD - It was from October that the Azzurri had not closed two games in a row without conceding a goal. Then there were three: Genk and Turin away and then Verona at home. But then the first two were dull draws, this time Napoli won two important challenges, to start again in the championship, to get closer to the Italian Cup final. Friday in Brescia will be the last test before facing Messi and his companions at San Paolo in the Champions League next Tuesday. It will be an opportunity to measure the work of the new coach and understand if Naples can dream of a fabulous transition to the quarterfinals, given the opponent and considering that the club has never entered the top eight in Europe in its history.