Napoli fans praise debutant Favasuli, question tempo after Bologna win

Supporters largely credited the debutant's introduction for turning the game against Bologna, while others pointed to Lucca's performance as proof Napoli still lack a proper backup for Hojlund.

by Gennaro SanninoTuesday 15 September, 18:05 CET· 4 hours ago

Lo stadio Diego Armando Maradona di Napoli

Lo stadio Diego Armando Maradona — Foto: Mister No · CC BY 3.0

Three points that matter in the table, but Napoli's supporters were not simply celebrating. Two days after the 1-0 win over Bologna, the comment that keeps recurring is not unconditional praise — it's "a good win, but a bit of a struggle" — and it captures the mood in the fanbase better than the scoreline does.

The winner came in the 66th minute from Lobotka, set up by Favasuli. The 2004-born player had been sent on for Politano at half-time — his first outing off the bench in Serie A — and he is the name most of the reaction is built around.

"About time: brilliant from Favasuli, but the rest of the team is too slow. If we carry on at this pace, there's no future in it," wrote one supporter, setting the debutant apart from the rest of the group.

With Lang and Favasuli, the game changed. A good win, a bit of a struggle.

Others widened the point to the squad's age. "You could see what Favasuli brought on the pitch, especially against a team whose age means it plays at a certain pace," read another comment.

It isn't an isolated complaint. Those who follow the club closely have already described head coach Allegri's squad as the second-oldest in Serie A. The context isn't neutral either: Napoli are 10th with 6 points after four matchdays, and the following day's papers spoke openly about a playing identity Allegri's side has yet to find.

No backup for Hojlund

The harshest reaction was aimed at Lucca. "The obvious problem is we don't have cover for Hojlund. Lucca isn't a Napoli player. He makes mistakes, loses the ball, and didn't have a single shot on target in the match. It seems strange to me that the club hasn't noticed and hasn't done anything about it," wrote one fan, raising an issue the summer window — closed for two weeks now without further attacking reinforcements — has left open.

There's also optimism looking ahead, with Fiorentina up next on Sunday 20 September at 12:30 CET (11:30 UK, 06:30 ET) at the Franchi, Fiorentina's stadium. "A deserved win in my view — we need to build on that second half for Florence. Fiorentina are a good side and it will be a big game, a really important one," wrote one supporter. It's a conditional kind of optimism, asking Napoli to repeat the growth shown after the break against Bologna rather than the stodgy first half that preceded it.