CHAPTER 159: CHAPTER 154: NAPOLI VS ATALANTA V

Sunday, September 18, 2022

Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, Naples

Halftime - 45’+2’

The whistle blew for halftime and Atalanta’s players trudged toward the tunnel with heads down while Napoli’s squad jogged off energized and celebrating, and the contrast was stark enough that the television cameras captured both groups in split screen.

Demien walked slowly with his shirt soaked through and his legs heavy, and the jeers from the crowd followed him all the way into the tunnel where the noise finally muffled behind concrete walls.

Away Dressing Room

Halftime

Inside the dressing room the atmosphere was tense and silent as players collapsed onto benches or stood leaning against walls, and nobody spoke while waiting for Gasperini to arrive because everyone knew what was coming.

The manager entered thirty seconds later with his assistant trailing behind carrying a tablet, and Gasperini’s face was tight with controlled anger as he moved to the tactical board mounted on the wall.

"Three goals conceded," he began, and his voice was sharp without being loud. "Three goals from the same pattern—we lose the ball in midfield, they transition quickly, our shape collapses. That’s not bad luck. That’s poor execution."

He turned and pointed at the defensive unit.

"Hateboer, you’re getting isolated by Kvaratskhelia every time. Stop trying to defend him one-on-one. Show him inside toward help. Djimsiti, you’re covering but you’re arriving late. Anticipate earlier."

Hateboer nodded while Djimsiti’s jaw worked but he stayed silent.

Gasperini’s eyes moved to the midfield.

"De Roon, Koopmeiners—when we lose possession, you’re not dropping fast enough. Napoli are exploiting that space between you and the backline with vertical passes. Close it."

Both midfielders acknowledged with tight expressions.

Then Gasperini stepped directly in front of Demien and the room went completely silent because everyone knew this was the critical conversation, and Demien looked up from where he sat breathing hard.

Gasperini didn’t shout and his voice dropped lower and became more precise.

"You’re standing still. He marks statues. Don’t be one."

The words landed clean and direct.

"Move before the ball arrives. Make him follow you. Force him to choose—track your movement and leave space, or hold position and give you time. Right now you’re doing his job for him by standing exactly where he wants you."

Demien’s chest tightened and his mind tried to process the instruction but understanding felt impossible because the pitch already felt like it was shrinking around him, and moving before the ball meant guessing where passes would go and risking being in the wrong position entirely.

"Do you understand?" Gasperini asked, and his eyes stayed locked on Demien’s.

"Yes, mister," Demien replied automatically though the words felt hollow.

Gasperini held his gaze for two more seconds before nodding once and turning back to address the full squad.

"Second half, we stay compact. We don’t chase the game stupidly. We make them work for a fourth goal and we look for moments to counter. Forty-five minutes left. Show me you can adapt."

He clapped once.

"Andiamo."

The team stood and began preparing to return to the pitch, and Demien stayed seated for an extra moment while trying to force his breathing to steady because panic was building in his chest and David Drinkwater’s voice whispered that drowning was exactly what this felt like.

Second Half

46’ - 55’ |

The second half kicked off at 8:50 PM and Napoli immediately pressed high again, and Atalanta tried to implement Gasperini’s instructions but the deficit and the atmosphere made execution difficult.

Demien’s first involvement came at the 48th minute when Djimsiti played a pass toward him near the right channel, and he checked to the ball while Anguissa tracked his movement from behind.

The pass arrived slightly behind him and Demien had to adjust his body position to control it, and when his first touch came the ball went behind his intended target Lookman who had made a run down the left wing.

The pass rolled harmlessly out of play for a Napoli throw-in and the crowd whistled mockingly.

Commentary Booth

"Walter’s first touch of the second half and it’s another misplaced pass," Caressa noted. "No improvement yet."

Two minutes later at the 50th minute Demien received again from Koopmeiners in a central position, and this time his touch was too heavy under pressure from Zielinski who had closed quickly.

The ball bounced away from him toward Lobotka who collected it cleanly before immediately launching a counter-attack with a pass to Politano, and only a desperate sliding tackle from Tolói prevented Napoli from creating a four-on-three situation.

Commentary Booth

"Another poor touch from Walter," Bergomi said, and his voice carried disappointment. "He nearly gifted Napoli a fourth goal there. This isn’t working."

Touchline

Gasperini’s head shook in disappointment and he turned toward his bench while calling out sharply.

"Pasalic! Start warming up!"

The Croatian midfielder immediately stood and began jogging along the touchline while pulling off his training top, and players on the bench started stretching because they sensed a substitution was imminent.

Commentary Booth

"Gasperini’s calling for a substitute," Caressa observed. "Walter might not make it to the hour mark. This has been a difficult introduction to hostile Serie A football for the eighteen-year-old."

On the pitch Demien saw Pasalic warming up and felt panic rising in his chest because being substituted before the 60th minute would be humiliating, would confirm every doubt about whether he belonged at this level, and the crowd would celebrate his exit like a victory.

61’ |

The moment that changed everything came in the 61st minute and it started innocuously with Tolói playing a pass from deep toward Demien who had checked into space between Napoli’s midfield and defensive lines.

Demien received with his back partially to goal and Anguissa was already moving toward him from behind, and the Cameroonian midfielder’s approach was fast and aggressive with clear intent to win the ball immediately.

Demien’s first touch controlled the ball but before he could turn or release it Anguissa barreled through him with a late heavy challenge that caught him from behind, and the contact was shoulder-to-back with enough force to send Demien sprawling forward onto the turf.

The stadium roared approval initially because the home crowd loved physical play, but the referee’s whistle came immediately—sharp and decisive—and his hand went to his pocket.

Commentary Booth

"That’s a foul!" Caressa said. "Late challenge from Anguissa!"

The yellow card came out and the referee brandished it clearly while pointing at Anguissa, and the stadium’s roar turned to instant boos and whistles that came from every section.

Napoli players converged on the referee immediately with hands raised and voices protesting.

"Shoulder-to-shoulder!" Rrahmani shouted while gesturing at his own shoulder. "Clean challenge!"

Lobotka joined in, his voice rising. "He won the ball! That’s not a foul!"

Atalanta players crowded from the opposite side with Koopmeiners pointing at where Anguissa had made contact.

"From behind! Late! That could’ve been red!"

De Roon stepped between the groups while trying to maintain space, and his voice carried authority. "Back up! Everyone back up!"

The referee waved both groups away firmly while keeping the yellow card visible, and his decision was final despite the protests.

Commentary Booth

"Yellow card for Anguissa and that’s the right call," Bergomi said. "Late challenge from behind. He caught Walter after the ball had already been touched. Napoli can complain but the referee got it right."

On the turf Demien lay wincing while holding his lower back where Anguissa’s shoulder had connected, and the pain was sharp but not severe though the impact had genuinely hurt.

Lookman jogged over and extended a hand to help him up, and when Demien grasped it and stood slowly he saw Anguissa shaking his head in frustration twenty yards away.

As Demien straightened fully and tested his back with a slight twist, he heard voices nearby—two Napoli midfielders standing close enough that their conversation carried over the crowd noise.

Zielinski spoke to Lobotka while both looked in Demien’s direction, and his voice was deliberate and loud enough to be heard.

"He waits for the ball every time. Easy to shut him down."

The phrase hit Demien like electricity because it was exactly what Gasperini had said—different words but the same concept—and suddenly the instruction clicked into place with crystal clarity.

Move before the ball. Don’t wait for it. Make him follow you.

A jolt ran through him and his mind processed the connection between Gasperini’s tactical instruction and what Napoli’s players had identified as his weakness, and David Drinkwater’s seventeen-club experience recognized the moment for what it was: the point where understanding shifts from theory to practice.