Napoli enter this November International break sitting in fourth spot on the Serie A ladder after reaching a high of second just over two weeks ago.
They have been the team to beat in recent weeks after a slow start to the season, now only two points away from front-runners Fiorentina and Inter.
What has gone right?
Effectively anything Napoli does in relation to their attack. With both Gonzalo Higuain and Lorezno Insigne in major goal-scoring form, the Azzurri hitmen have been almost impossible to stop so far. The firepower was exhibited in a 5-0 win over Serie A rivals Lazio and a 4-0 crushing of Italian giants AC Milan.
On top of these domestic exploits, their Europa League group stage to date is almost unassailable. Napoli really have not been tested in the competition yet, with their closest result being a 2-0 win. The group stage is almost at the end and Maurizio Sarri’s men will comfortably progress, looking to better a Semi-final finish from the 2014-16 edition.
What has gone wrong?
Napoli has had two major issues. The first, which was an early season worry, was the defence. The make-up in some of the earlier matches, particularly those containing the experienced Christian Maggio, were plagued with positional errors, something which was clear in the September draw with Empoli, conceding two goals in 18 minutes against a newly promoted team.
Since then and also related to the previous issue, is an inability to win against some of the lower opposition outfits. While turning -up against teams such as Juventus, Lazio, AC Milan and Fiorentina, their only loss of the season has come to Sassuolo. Although it was the first round, they have also drawn against the two promoted sides Carpi and Empoli. Their inconsistencies will worry Maurizio Sarri and his coaching staff going forward.
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Best Player So Far
Trying to select one player is tough, as there are two obvious choices which have pretty much been spoken about each week.
The first of the two candidates is Higuain. He is the league’s equal top scorer on nine goals and also has two assists to his name. On recent form the Argentine is the best player in Serie A and teams have struggled to stop him since 2015-16 began.
The other name to be mention is the ever-present Lorenzo Insigne. He has six goals and three assists this year, but has been of so much more use than that. A lot of the work he does is in setting up the play, even if it does not end up in an assist. Napoli are much better with the city native on the field and his influence is something that would be near impossible to replace.
Insigne’s tally would be higher had he not be subbed-off in most games to ease him back from injury
Quality goal from Napoli striker, Gonzalo Higuain scoring his 8th of the season (source: BT sport™) https://t.co/WFymxwD7vR
— Sport UK (@_Sport_UK_) October 28, 2015
What is next?
This is the season for Napoli and their potential is really up to them based on how tight the Serie A is currently. Only two-points off the lead and with powerhouse Juventus stuttering, the title is there for the taking if they want it. A Champions League spot for next season is a goal that is also well within reach at this stage.
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