Napoli slumped to a disappointing 2-0 defeat at Bologna in their last Serie A match before November’s international break. More than the result, the visitors’ performance at Stadio Renato Dall’Ara raised serious concerns about their Scudetto hopes.
Today’s disjointed display in Emilia-Romagna marked Napoli’s third consecutive scoring blank in all competitions, following a pair of scoreless draws against Como and Eintracht Frankfurt. With that in mind, the international break comes at an opportune moment for Antonio Conte’s side. However, there’s something awfully wrong at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, as witnessed by today’s game.
Bologna had Napoli on the ropes in the first half but couldn’t find a way past Vanja Milinkovic-Savic. Yet, Thijs Dallinga put them in front at the start of the second half with a delicate finish. Despite falling behind, Napoli failed to find their rhythm or make any sustained pressure on Bologna. Instead, Vincenzo Italiano’s side doubled their advantage through Jhon Lucumi, who outjumped Amir Rrahmani after a superb cross from Emil Holm.
Without further ado, let’s look at our player ratings.
### Napoli (4-3-3)
**Vanja Milinkovic-Savic – 6/10**
Despite making a couple of vital saves before Dallinga’s opener, his effort was in vain as his defenders let him down too many times today.
**Giovanni Di Lorenzo – 4/10**
Comfortably beaten by Nicolo Cambiaghi, who then set up Dallinga for the goal, the Napoli captain endured a forgettable afternoon at Dall’Ara.
**Amir Rrahmani – 2/10**
In addition to losing track of the Dutch striker in that fateful 50th minute, the Kosovo international allowed Lucumi to score a free header and put the game to bed.
**Alessio Buongiorno – 5/10**
Despite faring slightly better than his centre-back partner, the Italian’s poor anticipation helped Lucumi beat Milinkovic-Savic, as he let the ball fly over him.
**Miguel Gutierrez – 6/10**
Except for one promising-looking run in the second half, the former Girona left-back had no impact in the front third, though he fared reasonably well against Riccardo Orsolini.
**Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa – 4/10**
The Cameroonian lacked his usual energy and flair, which was part of the reason Napoli lost the midfield battle today.
**Stanislav Lobotka – 5/10**
Like his colleague, the diminutive playmaker failed to provide a spark from deep in the midfield, though his work rate and positional discipline prevented Napoli’s further collapse.
**Scott McTominay – 5/10**
One of the Scottish star’s weakest performances in the Napoli shirt, as he struggled to impose himself physically or contribute meaningfully in either phase of play.
**Elif Elmas – 6/10**
The versatile forward was Napoli’s liveliest performer today, yet his final touch let him down, often undoing all the good work he produced.
**Matteo Politano – 4/10**
Almost invisible for most of the game, the left-footed winger never threatened Bologna’s goal, making it easy for Juan Miranda to keep him quiet throughout the contest.
**Rasmus Hojlund – 3/10**
Completely cut off from the rest of the team, the ex-Atalanta striker was a marginal figure at Dall’Ara, frequently being overlooked in the build-up while never getting a chance to test Massimo Pessina.
### Substitutes
**David Neres – 4/10**
**Noa Lang – 3/10**
**Mathias Olivera – 5/10**
**Juan Jesus – 6/10**
**Lorenzo Lucca – N/A**
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Napoli will hope to regroup during the upcoming international break and address the issues that surfaced in this encounter. Their inability to score and the defensive lapses witnessed at Bologna must be urgently resolved if they are to keep pace in the Serie A title race.
https://cultofcalcio.com/napoli-player-ratings-vs-bologna-disjointed-partenopei-falter-again/