One of the biggest surprises of this soccer season so far is Napoli. The team has played extremely well so far this season, and Napoli has won each of their games since September 3.
As a result, Napoli is currently first in Serie A and in their Champions League group. They are now one of the favorites to win each competition.
Napoli’s Season So Far
Last season, Napoli finished third in Serie A. They finished the season with 79 points and a 24-7-7 record. The team scored 74 goals in Serie A, while allowing only 31.
31 goals were tied for the fewest allowed in the league with title-winners AC Milan. Additionally, Napoli’s 74 goals were the third-most in Serie A, and they were one of only three teams to score more than 70 goals within the league last season.
Entering the summer transfer window, Napoli was expected to enter this season as one of the favorites to win Serie A. However, players such as Kalidou Koulibaly and Fabian Ruiz departed for Chelsea and PSG, respectively this summer.
Despite the players that left the team, Napoli still had an excellent summer transfer window. Center-back Min-Jae Kim, who previously played for Fenerbahce, signed with the team this summer and has started most of the team’s games after the departure of Koulibaly. Kim has the best player rating of any Napoli player so far this season, according to FotMob.
Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa, who joined the team from Fulham, has already played nine Serie A games for Napoli this season. He has played incredibly well, with two goals and two assists in the league so far this year. Additionally, he has scored a goal and has three assists in the Champions League this season.
Napoli is one of only two teams in Serie A, along with Lazio, to have scored at least 20 goals this season; Napoli leads the league in goals scored with 22. Their goal difference of 15 is the second-best in the league behind only Lazio’s 16, but Napoli defeated Lazio 2-1 in the game the two teams played earlier this season.
The team’s performance in the Champions League may be even more impressive. Napoli has won each of their four games in European competition, scoring 17 goals while allowing just four.
So far Napoli has defeated Liverpool 4-1, Rangers 3–0, and Ajax 6-1 and 4-2 in the Champions League. They lead the competition in goals scored, and they have already advanced to the Round of 16.
Will Napoli Win Serie A or the Champions League?
The team’s strong start to the season has given them an opportunity to win either Serie A or the Champions League. While Napoli did not begin the season as one of the favorites to win the Champions League, their performance during the group stage so far has shown they could win the competition.
In Serie A so far this season, Napoli has already won against third-placed Lazio and AC Milan, who won the league last season. Last season, Napoli finished with 79 points in 38 games, which meant they earned 2.08 points per game; this season they are averaging 2.56 points per game after nine games.
Napoli has several very important games during the next few weeks. They play Roma, who are currently sixth in the league, on October 23. After that match, they play Rangers, Sassuolo, and Liverpool.
Of Napoli’s three Serie A games in November, two are against teams currently within the top four of the league’s standings; second-placed Atalanta and fourth-placed Udinese. The team’s first match after the World Cup is against Inter Milan on January 4.
Each team has only played nine games in Serie A this year, but Napoli has had an incredible sta
rt to the season. If Napoli continues to play well over the next few weeks, especially in their games against Roma, Atalanta, and Udinese, they could be the favorites to win Serie A when the season resumes after the World Cup in January.
