AS Roma vs Napoli: A "Scudetto" Indication from the Olimpico

ROME, SATURDAY - The motto "dominating ball control increases the chances of winning" will characterize the clash between the two top teams in the Italian League, AS Roma versus Napoli, on Monday (1/12/2025) at 02:45 WIB. Dominant ball possession is not only the lifeblood of both teams in their pursuit of scoring more goals than their opponents, but also an effort to suppress the attacks of their rivals.

Roma welcomed the closing match of the 13th week of the Italian League comfortably sitting at the top of the standings. They lead by two points with a total of 27 points from their closest rivals, AC Milan and Napoli.

Gian Piero Gasperini's men haven't just been crowned champions, the Italian league's top-flight champions. Roma, nicknamed "The Wolves," are the first team to record nine wins.

The Gasperini revolution is immediately evident from the solidity of Roma's defense. They have only conceded six goals and have recorded six matches without conceding. No other team in the top tier of Italian competition can match the defensive record led by Evan Ndicka.

One notable aspect of Roma's performance at the beginning of this season is their willingness to take the initiative in controlling the match. They achieve an average of 59 percent ball possession per game.

The statistics only trail behind Como (61 percent) and Inter Milan (60 percent). Nevertheless, the average ball possession figure has surged compared to 54 percent per game in the 2024-2025 edition of the Italian League.

We must demonstrate a significantly better performance on Sunday (Monday WIB). There should be no more mistakes made both as a team and individually to avoid a poor outcome.

This dominance of play helped Roma improve, especially defensively. Their counter-pressing strategy, similar to that employed by Gasperini with Atalanta in recent seasons, was on display in Rome.

It's no surprise that Roma have risen from a mediocre team struggling in mid-table to a strong contender for the Scudetto. Gasperini has made no secret of his desire to end the Wolves' more than two-decade wait to become the best team in Italy.

To assert their status as a top team, Roma must demonstrate this against the defending champions, Napoli. Roma must prove themselves, having already suffered identical 0-1 defeats to the other two Scudetto contenders, Inter Milan and AC Milan.

Interestingly, after their defeat to Milan on November 3, Roma secured four consecutive victories across two competitions. Their mentality has been tested to recover from negative results.

"We have to show a much better performance on Sunday (Monday WIB). We can't afford to make any more mistakes, both as a team and individually, to avoid a bad result," Gasperini said, as reported by Corrierre dello Sport, Saturday (11/29/2025).

However, defending and dominant possession aren't enough for a team to win the title. Gasperini recognizes this.

The 15 goals scored by his team are the worst offensive record for the current top six teams in the Italian League.

Indeed, Roma is not a team that struggles to create opportunities. They produce an average of 5.3 shots on target per match. This figure is equivalent to Napoli's record.

The reason Roma is inferior in terms of goal collection compared to Napoli (19 goals) is that they wasted too many opportunities.

A total of 16 opportunities were wasted by Paulo Dybala and his teammates, equivalent to 1.3 wasted chances per game. Meanwhile, Napoli squandered only 14 opportunities.

Gasperini realizes that converting opportunities remains a homework assignment for his team. He hopes that the Roma players can be more clinical in front of Napoli.

"We have prepared for the match as best as we can in order to play well. We must not waste opportunities that could tarnish our performance," said Gasperini.

Meanwhile, Napoli arrived in the capital of Italy with improved performance following the international break. They have achieved two consecutive victories, first defeating Atalanta in Serie A, followed by Qarabag in the Champions League.

The result is a product of the innovation conceived by Coach Antonio Conte. The unavailability of Kevin De Bruyne and Frank Anguissa has led Conte to alter the composition in the midfield and forward positions.

Scott McTominay was pushed slightly towards the center to play as a central midfielder, rather than taking on the role of an attacking midfielder to support the striker, Rasmus Hojlund.

The role of supporting Hojlund was assigned to two wingers, Noa Lang and David Neres. Interestingly, Conte instructed them to play in the central area of the field, rather than spreading out as is typical for those two fast players.

Five goals in the last two matches demonstrate that this playing approach is effective for "The Little Donkey." The remaining challenge for Conte is to restore Hojlund's sharpness. The Danish striker has gone goalless in the last six matches for Napoli.

The last goal was scored by Hojlund when he defeated Genoa on October 5. In fact, in five games in November, Hojlund could only produce a total of six shots.

He has conceded 1.47 expected goals (xG) in that period of play.

"We've felt positive energy in the last few games. Despite situations I can't control (injuries), we've always tried to give our best," Conte said, as quoted by Sky Sport Italia.

He added, "Energy is fundamental to our game. It will determine whether the players can reach their ideal level and help each other."