Beware the Slovakian Maradona
Hamsik a force to reckon with, even in small doses
MAREK HAMSIK will win his 100th cap for Slovakia at Hampden on Thursday. His national association concede they have planned ‘a small celebration’ to mark the achievement around their closing Group F fixture with Malta in Trnava three days later and there is no intention of allowing Scotland to spoil the party.
It is a time in which many are gathering tightly around the Napoli captain as he endeavours to overcome a strangely indifferent period of form and come through with a real season for the ages. In terms of landmarks and possibilities, the mind boggles at what lies within touching distance for the Mohawkcrested 30-year-old.
Reaching a second World Cup with Slovakia and overtaking 107-times-capped Miroslav Karhan as his country’s most-capped player is just the start of it.
Beating Diego Maradona’s club record of 115 goals for Napoli is also tantalisingly close — he is just two short of equalling the mark — and a 100-per-cent record after six games of the campaign has the Partenopei top of Serie A on goal difference from defending champions Juventus.
To overtake Maradona in the club’s all-time scoring charts would be one thing. Matching his heroics of 1987 and 1990 by returning the title to the Stadio San Paolo would simply take his love affair with the Neapolitan support, instigated when joining from Brescia in a 5.5million-euro transfer in the summer of 2007, into the realms of the eternal.
The scene for a remarkable nine months or so is set. All that is left now is for Hamsik to get back into form. Last term, he scored 15 from midfield for Napoli, a career best, and certainly did his bit to put Scotland to the sword in Trnava, heavily involved in two of the goals in the 3-0 victory that got Slovakia’s campaign back on track after early defeats to England and Slovenia.
This season has been more of a slow burn. He has yet to find the net and has only a couple of assists to his name. Although involved in every one of Napoli’s ten competitive matches so far, he has only completed the full 90 minutes in one of them.
Hamsik has generally been restricted to an hour or so before being removed from the play. One of his agents, Martin Petras, branded it ‘a bit depressing’ earlier in the month. Talk of niggling hamstring issues has had to be shot down. But there is no question of anyone in Naples falling out of line behind their skipper. He is adored by the public there after ten years in their colours and they continue to chant his name — the most notable example coming in the recent 6-0 win over Benevento, in which they demanded he be given one of the two penalty-kicks awarded simply to break his duck.
Likewise, head coach Maurizio Sarri remains unmoved. Quizzed on the reasons for taking Hamsik off during almost every game he plays, he is clear. This, Sarri claims, is a better way of managing his workload than taking the risk of leaving him in the stand.
‘For me, he is irreplaceable,’ stated the Napoli boss. ‘It is why I always substitute him in games because, otherwise, we wouldn’t be able to give him a rest. He has characteristics that none of our other midfielders possess, especially playing between the lines.
‘Even if he is not going through a brilliant period, he will have all of my support. He is a fundamental element for us.’
After showing brighter signs during the first half of Tuesday’s 3-1 Champions League win over Feyenoord, Hamsik again made way for Pole Piotr Zielinski 19 minutes from time.
‘No one likes to leave the field, but I accept it,’ said Hamsik. ‘The season is long and we do have a very demanding schedule. The thing that counts most is that the team wins and I am happy with how we are going.’
Slovakia head coach Jan Kozak appears content with the way Hamsik’s talents are being utilised by Sarri and it is impossible to imagine that his faith in his primary attacking midfielder will waver for Hampden.
In last month’s 2-1 loss to England, Hamsik was backed up by younger players in the defensively-minded pair of Celta Vigo’s Stanislav Lobotka and Milan Skriniar of Inter Milan.
Certainly, Hamsik was excited by events at Wembley despite the end result and, although 22-yearold Skriniar is suspended on Thursday, he believes Scotland are coming up against a side developing real momentum.
‘Thanks to the guys who have come in, whether younger or more experienced, a good team has been created, I think,’ he said. ‘This team is really moving now. ‘It will be decided for us in Scotland. I think we have enough to maintain second place in the group.’