In the blink of an eye, 2023 is coming to an end, and a new 2024 is beckoning. For European football, this means the arrival of a winter break and a winter transfer window. However, before this transition period, major clubs, especially those in the top five leagues, were experiencing a storm of fixtures.
The schedule frenzy in European football.
Before the winter break, national football leagues are not only played on weekends, but even in the middle of the week. In the middle of the week, the Bundesliga, La Liga, Ligue 1, Coppa Italia, English League Cup and the Club World Cup, which featured last season's Champions League winner Manchester City, staged fierce battles, bringing a feast of football to fans around the world.
A matchup of the giants.
In the middle of the week, a number of big clubs, including Manchester City, Dort, Leipzig, Chelsea, Newcastle, Napoli, Atletico Madrid, Sevilla, all took the stage, and each played a fierce game. Among them, Manchester City defeated AFC Champions League champion Urawa Red Diamonds 3-0 in the team's all-time Club World Cup debut and successfully advanced to the finalSevilla and Chelsea also bounced off their slumps and won their respective competitions. Despite the draws held by Borussia Dort, Leipzig and Atletico Madrid, they still have some gains in the league. However, Newcastle and Napoli, who participated in the cup ties, were not so lucky, with the former losing on penalties and the latter suffering a shocking defeat.
Napoli suffered a stunning 4-0 defeat to Frosinone.
At 4 a.m. Beijing time on December 20, the second match of the 1 8 finals of this season's Italian Cup was between Napoli and Frosinone. On paper, the gap between the two sides is obvious, and the Napoli team is worth as much as 5800 million euros, well above Frosinone's 62.55 million euros. However, it was such a seemingly strong and weak game, but it was a big surprise.
At the Maradona Stadium, Napoli were in control early in the game but were never able to break the deadlock. In the second half, head coach Mazzari brought on key players such as Osimhen and Kvaratskhelia in an attempt to change the situation. However, something unexpected happened - from the 65th minute, Frosinone scored four goals in just 25 minutes to humiliate Napoli with a big score of 4-0 and knock them out of the competition.
The epitome of Napoli's season woes.
This match can be seen as a microcosm of Napoli's performance in the first half of the season. With the departure of champion coach Luciano Spalletti and the transfer of defensive stalwart Kim Min-jae to Bayern, Napoli's tactical system has been severely affected. This season, the twin stars of Osimhen and Kvaratskhelia have had their ups and downs, making the team's attack mixed and mixed. At the moment, Napoli are only fifth in the league and there is little hope of defending their title;He suffered a humiliating defeat on his Coppa Italia debut and was knocked outThe Champions League 1 8 finals also have to face the mighty Barcelona. It can be said that it is almost impossible for Napoli to repeat last season's glory this season.
Napoli's 4-0 defeat to Frosinone certainly added a touch of colour to a crazy week in European football before the winter break. The result of this upset not only surprised the fans, but also revealed the serious challenges facing Napoli at the moment. After a change of coach, the loss of key players and the inconsistency of the attacking line, Napoli will need to rethink and adjust during the winter break in order to regain their form and winning feeling in the second half of the season.
Overall, the week leading up to the winter break in European football was full of surprises and uncertainties, and Napoli's heavy defeat was a reminder that even the strongest teams can suffer Waterloo in the competition. That's the beauty of football – no one can predict the outcome until the last minute. Let's look forward to the new year when European football has more exciting moments and memorable matches.