Player Focus: Callejon's Route to Goals Proving Predictable But Not Preventable

As a twin myself, I am familiar with the questions Jose and Juanmi Callejon must have faced when they were growing up. To give an example, if one of you feels joy or pain, does the other experience it too? Right now, they’d make an interesting case study because their form as footballers appears curiously synchronised.

Jose is the Capocannoniere in Serie A with seven goals in eight appearances for Napoli, as prolific a start to a season from a Partenopei striker since Daniel Fonseca in 1992. Meanwhile Juanmi is the top scorer in Bolivia with nine goals for Club Bolivar. Imagine if they were to play together again like they did in Real Madrid’s cantera.

“I’m always thinking about it,” Jose told La Gazzetta dello Sport over the summer. “For me, it would be priceless. I miss my brother. He’s very good and knows how to play every position behind the striker. I hope one day not too far in the future they’ll bring him here to Napoli. Two JCs are better than one, no?” Not if you’re a Serie A centre or full-back.

There was something about the timing of that Callejon interview. He’d been sent to the showers early by Rafa Benitez during a pre-season training session. Napoli’s coach had discerned a lack of motivation and concentration in his work. Owner Aurelio De Laurentiis later claimed Callejon had been “disappointed” not to be sold. A €28m bid from Spanish champions and Champions League finalists Atletico Madrid had been put on the table. “My agent told me about it,” Callejon revealed.

To Napoli, however, he was unsellable. Benitez didn’t want to lose a player who’d scored 20 goals in his first season in Italy. Rather than make a quick return on their original €8.8m investment and reinforce the team with the proceeds, he’d risk waiting until Napoli unlocked a similar amount by hopefully qualifying for the Champions League via the play-offs. Recruitment would be put on hold until then.

 
Even if it meant keeping an apparently unhappy player? Callejon didn’t want to leave fans with that impression.  “It made me happy [to learn the club considered me such an important player] because I care about this shirt,” he told the pink. “And besides I still have four years on my contract. I’m happy here and feel the love of the people.” In the same interview, the 27-year-old expressed his hopes for the season ahead. “I’d like to challenge Cristiano Ronaldo, my idol, in the Champions League final and win. I don’t feel that’s crazy,” he said. “We can go all the way with this Napoli team. We aren’t afraid of anyone. As an ex-Madridista it would be fantastic.”

A month later, Callejon’s “crazy” idea had been revealed to be just that. Eliminated by Athletic Club, the squad didn’t get strengthened as much as expected. The signings Napoli did make weren’t inspiring. The team looked weaker. Pepe Reina wasn’t retained because his wages were too high. Other regulars, Federico Fernandez and Valon Behrami were sold and replaced by relative unknowns Kalidou Koulibaly and David Lopez.

Lifting players like Gonzalo Higuain in particular, who upon moving to Europe had never been out of the Champions League, proved hard. As if losing the World Cup final wasn’t difficult enough, this only added to the disillusion. After winning their first four games last season, Napoli made their worst start in five years.

It wasn’t supposed to be this way. Following a campaign of transition the players were supposed to be more familiar with Benitez’s methods, and better able to execute. Instead, they were unrecognisable. The combinations that had made Napoli such a threat last term, firing 104 goals in all competitions, were no more. They were like a jammed pistol. Until Sunday’s 6-2 win against Verona, Higuain, “a lion in a cage”, and Marek Hamsik hadn’t found the net in the league.

The only player making the difference - and not always may I add - was Callejon. Napoli’s upturn in fortunes owes a lot to him. He found the winning goals against Sassuolo and Torino and twice got his team back into the game away at Inter. He has scored with seven of his nine shots on target. Six have come from a similar area, the inside right channel. Just as everyone knows Arjen Robben will cut onto his left foot and shoot, the predictability of Callejon peeling off the shoulder of a full back and/or dashing between him and a centre-back make it no less preventable.

“The diagonal runs he makes behind the defence are his most outstanding technical quality,” reflected Callejon’s former Espanyol teammate Rufete. His timing is also perfect. “In this, he reminds me of David Villa,” said former youth team coach Juan Carlos Mandia. Averaging a goal every 88.4 minutes, that’s the best ratio in the league and by some distance too. By comparison, the next best, Juventus’ Carlos Tevez strikes every 101.3 minutes. Is it any wonder Vicente del Bosque is thinking about calling Callejon up to the Spain squad.

Atletico are still interested too, even if they did sign Alessio Cerci from Torino at the end of the transfer window. La Gazzetta understands a €30m buy-out clause was written into Callejon’s contract last month. An exchange has been mooted. “Never say never in football,” Callejon replied when asked if a former Real Madrid player would ever consider playing for Atletico. “In any case, I’m not giving myself the problem. I have my freedom with Benitez and I don’t want to give it up.” Should Rafa leave when his contract expires at the end of this season, however, Callejon may follow.

How much has Callejon impressed you this season and were Napoli right to reject the overtures of Atletico in the summer? Let us know in the comments below