Cagliari strikes in ‘zona Cesarini’ yet again, causing Napoli to face defeat under Claudio Ranieri’s leadership. Written by Nicky Bandini.

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In Italy, the last moments of a soccer match are referred to as the “zona Cesarini,” named after Renato Cesarini, a famous Juventus player who was known for scoring goals in the 90th minute, including a winning goal for the national team against Hungary in 1931. This term has become widely used to describe various situations, ranging from last-minute political agreements to turning in homework assignments right before the deadline.

Maybe it’s time for a revision. In the current Serie A season, the added time is dominated by Claudio Ranieri’s Cagliari team. Although the Sardinians have faced challenges throughout the season and currently hold a joint-second last position on the leaderboard, it could have been much worse.

In October, during their match against Frosinone, Cagliari achieved a feat that no other Serie A team had accomplished before – they won despite being three goals behind in the 71st minute. Even at the 90th minute, they were still losing 3-2, but Leonardo Pavoletti’s two goals led them to a 4-3 victory. Two months later, they once again overcame a losing position in stoppage time to defeat Sassuolo 2-1.

In essence, Napoli should have been more aware that the task was not yet completed when their game against Cagliari exceeded 95 minutes. They were up 1-0 thanks to a goal by Victor Osimhen in the second half. Both Matteo Politano and Giovanni Simeone had opportunities to increase their lead near the end of the match. However, in the final moments, Alberto Dossena made a final attempt by sending a ball toward the Napoli penalty area from his own half. Juan Jesus misjudged the trajectory, allowing Zito Luvumbo to sneak behind him. The Cagliari player let the ball bounce, controlled it with his chest and then swiftly shot it into the corner.

The Unipol Domus stadium exploded with cheers as Luvumbo, grasping his hamstring, was embraced by his teammates. Each point is crucial when battling against relegation, and Cagliari has secured seven points from goals scored during injury time in the second half. Should we dub it the “Ranieri zone”? In October, the coach had foreseen: “I have no doubt we will save ourselves in Serie A just as we arrived here – in the final second of the final game.”

If that is Cagliari’s narrative, this result fit equally well with the story of Napoli’s catastrophic campaign. After winning Serie A for the first time in 33 years, they have followed up with one of the worst title defences of all time. Ninth in the table, they trail the league leaders, Inter, by 29 points.

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The team has already gone through three managers this season. Francesco Calzona officially assumed the role last Monday, but his first training session was delayed by a day. This was just 36 hours before Napoli faced Barcelona in the Champions League last-16 match. Given the circumstances, their 1-1 draw in that game could be considered a decent outcome. However, there were fewer positives to take from their dropped points against Cagliari. Calzona pointed out that the issue was primarily mental and the team needed to maintain focus and work together more consistently. While there are signs of improvement, their teamwork still needs refinement.

What led us to this point? Napoli not only triumphed in Serie A last season, but they also dominated it by finishing 16 points ahead of other teams. They scored the most goals and conceded the fewest in the division. Towards the end of the season, there were indications that their success may be diminishing. Despite winning the Serie A MVP award, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia did not score any goals after March. While Napoli only dropped 7 points in their first 24 games, they lost or drew half of the remaining 14 games.

The connection between the manager and owner of Napoli was declining. Via email, Luciano Spalletti was informed by Aurelio De Laurentiis that his contract would be extended by one year. Did this cause a rift or was it a sign of an existing problem? According to conflicting reports, Spalletti either felt offended or was using this as justification for a decision he had already made to depart at the end of the term.

De Laurentiis recently stated that activating the clause was simply a necessary step in the process of renegotiating and offering the manager better terms. However, Spalletti provides a more complex view of De Laurentiis, sharing with La Gazzetta dello Sport that there are multiple sides to his former employer, including ones that are grateful, melancholy, rancorous, and involved in behind-the-scenes actions.

The mistakes made by the owner have been acknowledged. Rudi Garcia was hired as the manager but was fired in November when Napoli was in fourth place. De Laurentiis admitted afterwards that he wished he had made this decision earlier, as it was revealed that Garcia had not watched any of the team’s title-winning games during his press conference. This raises the question of what was discussed during Garcia’s interview.

Following De Laurentiis’ hopes for a familiar face, Walter Mazzarri was hired as the next coach. De Laurentiis believed Mazzarri’s previous experience of leading Napoli to Champions League qualification twice in four seasons would make him the ideal person to guide the team through the remainder of the current season and find stability. However, under Mazzarri, Napoli only scored nine goals in 12 games – the lowest in Serie A during his time as coach.

He was impacted by events. Osimhen, last season’s top scorer in the division, was rarely able to play under Mazzarri due to a hamstring injury. He only made a few appearances before leaving for the Africa Cup of Nations. However, despite returning tired, he has already scored in both games under Calzona.

However, the team managed to handle Osimhen’s absence during the early part of last season with players like Simeone and Giacomo Raspadori stepping up to fill in. The attack and midfield did not suffer any major losses in the summer transfer window, with only centre-back Kim Min-jae leaving due to Bayern Munich activating his €58m release clause. If the team requires better backup options, should that not also fall under the responsibility of De Laurentiis? He downplayed the importance of the sporting director role after the departure of Cristiano Giuntoli, who was instrumental in securing the affordable signing of Kvaratskhelia and has since joined Juventus.

The squad planning since has felt chaotic, with no adequate replacement found for Kim and Napoli scrambling this January to find cover for Osimhen and Piotr Zielinski, who was omitted from Napoli’s squad Champions League knockouts squad – despite starting regularly in Serie A – because he is expected to join Inter when his contract expires in the summer.

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At a media briefing held earlier this month, De Laurentiis confidently defended his performance as club president by highlighting Napoli’s nearly €80 million profit at the end of 2023. He also mentioned the positive impact of his family’s ownership of Bari, who achieved third place in Serie B last season, on Napoli’s ability to cultivate a larger pool of players. Additionally, De Laurentiis discussed his media company Filmauro’s upcoming release of a film about last year’s Scudetto victory.

None of which will help supporters feel better about seeing their team midtable. “In the situation we find ourselves in, we just have to think one match at a time,” said Calzona when asked what his team can still aim for this season. “It’s pointless talking about projects right now … but until the maths condemns us we have to aspire to the highest objectives.”

Napoli has 13 remaining games in the season and they are currently nine points away from the fifth spot, which could secure them a spot in the Champions League. The zona Cesarini, where this weekend’s rivals will be playing, is known for unexpected outcomes, so anything can happen in the remaining matches.

Source: theguardian.com