Napoli vs Juventus: Old friends Gattuso & Pirlo face off under pressure

The friends become enemies in Serie A this weekend, as Andrea Pirlo's Juventus face Gennaro Gattuso's Napoli, with the latter under intensifying pressure.

Reports are rife that Gattuso could be sacked if Napoli lose to Juventus. At present, they are three points off the top four but would face falling further away from the Champions League places if the current Serie A holders emerge victorious in a north v south clash that will engross all of Italy on Saturday night.

As two greats of a once all-conquering AC Milan side get set to lock horns, Sportsmail looks at the talking points ahead of the big game in Italy this weekend.

THE BACKSTORY

Gattuso and Pirlo played over 350 games together at AC Milan and their emotional bond is still intact. Inseparable in Milan, they were friends by day and fellow adventurers by night: Gattuso and Pirlo were like two comic actors, like Laurel and Hardy or Starsky and Hutch.

In an interview with Sky Sports, Gattuso talked about their relationship: 'When we were teammates he always joked with me but he took more slaps from me than from his father. He and I were like Bud Spencer and Terence Hill.'

Pirlo has also spoken of Gattuso on many occasions and in his book reveals the jokes he made to Gattuso during their great friendship: 'I called him 'southern' and he beat me, then I took my revenge, I stole his mobile phone and his number I sent many messages to Braida, our sporting director.

'One day, during the period in which Rino was waiting for the renewal of his contract, I conducted the negotiation in his place to our sporting director and man for contracts. Another time in Milan, for a bet, Rino was also able to eat a live snail but we never paid him a cent.'

HOW DO THEY COMPARE AS COACHES?

On the pitch, they have a very similar football philosophy: the defense must know how to set the action with fast and precise passes and the midfield must not be skipped with long balls.

For Pirlo and Gattuso, the ball must always be between the feet of the players and the counter-attack must not be considered a style of play but a possibility to be used in an emergency.

Pirlo would have liked to play with the 4-3-3 that Gattuso usually uses for Napoli but, unlike his friend-turned-enemy, he chose a very flexible tactical scheme that he himself defines as 'liquid'.

In Serie A's big match this weekend , Gattuso's team will arrive with a disadvantage without forwards Victor Osimhen and Dries Mertens and they also have Kalidou Koulibaly and Faouzi Ghoulam out with Covid-19.

Paulo Dybala should recover for Pirlo, who could well prepare for the match with all his players at his disposal.

WHERE IS IT GOING WRONG FOR GATTUSO?

Gattuso has lost feeling with the dressing room. Now, he is at risk of being fired. There are three very serious problems to be solved: a timid midfield, Victor Osimhen's flop and a team without personality.

Gattuso has only one dream: he wants to go back to winning with expressive football in a city that in recent years has not been renowned for the most adventurous styles of play.

The feeling is that the coach has not entered the hearts of the players: Gattuso, in front of the television and the microphones, has harshly criticised some of the attitudes of his players without being able to empathise with them.

At boardroom level, chairman Aurelio De Laurentiis and Cristiano Giuntoli are disappointed by the lack of personality in the team and Gattuso is the main culprit for this. Napoli play slow football, full of useless passes and rarely get the ball forward quickly enough.

Meanwhile Nigeria striker Osimhen was bought from Lille for £61.5m and is perhaps the biggest disappointment of the market due to the difficulties encountered after a shoulder injury and the recent positive Covid test.

The player is the worst signing in the recent history of Napoli and does not seem able to guarantee the strength and charisma that Edinson Cavani, Ezequiel Lavezzi and Gonzalo Higuain, the last real great center forward of the club, had.

Osimhen seems to have the same problems as Nicolas Pepe at Arsenal: he is a player who does not seem to have the right personality to play with No 9 in Naples, a very demanding city in which every match is considered a war.

For him there are also tactical problems: Gattuso was never very sure that Osmihen was a center forward but an agile and quick striker to put next to a physically strong giant. Osimhen is today the player who has disappointed the most in this Serie A and who seriously risks going down in history as the worst striker bought by Napoli since the day of their return to Serie A.

WHO COULD REPLACE HIM IF NAPOLI LOSE?

Walter Mazzari is one option. The former Torino coach would be happy to return to the Napoli bench and is first on the list should Gattuso get sacked.

He is a trusted man of De Laurentiis with whom he has already worked in the magnificent period of the Lavezzi-Cavani attack and, above all, is the coach who would also accept a five-month contract.

Rafa Benitez, another former coach, could be in the running. According to Gazzetta dello Sport, De Laurentiis has had more contact with him in recent weeks also but Benitez is the man who the chairman would propose the future the role of technical director.

Benitez could, however, replace Gattuso if needed and then start the new adventure from June 2021. He is considered the ideal man for his international experience and for his charisma towards the players - in Naples he found a perfect environment and still regrets his departure.

Fabio Cannavaro has also been linked, although for now seems a name to revisit in the future. And don't rule out Vincenzo Italiano, the manager of Spezia Calcio. De Laurentiis has been impressed by his work, overseeing the rise of the club up into Serie A.

MEANWHILE, AT JUVE...

There is no room for sentimentality for Pirlo, who may consider what is happening with his old friend as a warning for his own fate.

Three points are absolutely imperative for Juventus on Saturday - the current Serie A holders have won the league for nine straight seasons but now, Pirlo is threatened with becoming the man who snaps that streak.

Juve currently sit third in the Serie A standings, seven points behind the leaders, Pirlo and Gattuso's old side AC Milan. Juve have a game in hand on them, but they really cannot afford any further slip ups.

Yet if anyone knows Gattuso will not go down without a fight, it's Pirlo. But to keep himself safe, the Juve boss may have to push his good friend over the edge.