Napoli have just started well, but with the CL games as well, they have already lost points against the smaller teams, which is why they're not top.

They won against us with half our team out injured, and they're winning agains a 10-man Inter which were cheated out of this game.

Sorry, but Naoli are far from contenders just yet, they've just caught their 2 biggest rivals in their worst moments. In the long run, I don't think they'll be able to keep up and the other matchups with us and Inter should be more even. Everything is just going their way atm.

But personally, I still feel that in the end, Inter will turn out to be our biggest challengers, just like last season

Oh this was the ref which wouldn't let us finish our corner in the Lazio game.. ha, I knew I recognized him.

Napoli do look so good going forward though.

If this was last year, i would fully agree. The level of competition this year is much greater IMO and with the bigger teams struggling and others that look like they might take off, i don't feel that we can still consider ourselves the favorites. Especially because of our injury problem we have become Mancini's inter with the whole team defending and ibra scoring at will.

+1

It really doesn't matter how much stronger the other teams are, if that goes against our chances then it applies to Napoli as well. Also, we were in as much the same position we are in now last season. Napoli were being hyped up at one point as well last season. Add to that their CL commitments and this run won't hold for long.

Like I said, they've already lost stupid points against teams they should have won against. They just caught both us and Inter at vulnerable moments.

The injury crises won't last all season for us, we had something similar to this last season as well. It's only a matter of getting Robs and Pato back at this point so we'v already surpassed a major hurdle in that aspect. Like last season we're taking a bit of time to settle into the swing of things, but I'm not worried yet. And apart from us and Inter, atm, I can't see anyone else winning this title.

Napoli will crumble, it's just a matter of when.

Yes, I agree with han. Don't forget last years Lazio. But I don't think Inter is that strong to be 1st. They look idea-less and toothless.

I don't think Inter will be that much of a threat like last season. Eto'o's departure hurt them big, their signing are unimpressive and I don't think that Sneijder is very motivated, plus he's injured a lot. They are even older than us and I don't see them winning it at all. Some of their fans I know will be happy with the CL place. They are where we were few season ago.

When our injured will be back and we can produce a decent run and stability like last season, nobody will be able to stop us. Roma just in the middle of the process, Juve not there yet & too Pirlo dependant and Napoli not deep enough.

I think Inter have the best squad in Serie A after us. Napoli struggle a lot when one of their 3 big players is out. Cavani was out yesterday but it really doesn't matter much since they played against 10 men and before that Inter were clearly the better team imo.

Napoli have a very good first 11, although their defence is yet to seriously be tested, and imo, that is their weakest area.

All the other teams have improved a lot, but I don't see title contender written on them. Napoli have already lost points when CL games have rolled around. They simply don't have the depth for both competitions, as well as Coppa when those matches start rolling up.

I just can't stand the way Napoli are being hyped simply because they beat us and Inter under such circumstances.


I think you're underestimating Inter a bit too much. Along with us, they have the deapest squad in Serie A. and The best players man for man. They've lost their way with all the coach changes and losing a player like Eto'o, but I really feel that in the end, they'll still be there in the top 3 at least. And personally I wouldn't be surprised to see Juve take the 3rd spot from Napoli this season. Juve don't have any CL commitments this season so they'll have that advantage of focusing 100% on the league that other teams don't

So if we discredit Napoli for beating both us and Inter in 'dubious' circumstances, do I assume we'll demand a rematch if we win a match in a fortuitous fashion?

In football, you win some and you lose some, and at the end of the day Napoli have made a blistering start to the season.

A league is won over a season and that includes when breaks go for you as well as against you.

imho Napoli showed their progress last season and now seem to be as strong as anyone. I think if they keep this up they're serious title contenders. For now, neither Milan nor Inter are, but of course, like I said, the league's won over a season, not the first 5 matches.

The hype is based on history, coupled with the trend this team has been on since coming back to Serie A. I wouldn't call it hype though .. I'd call it much deserved recognition.

Though they will be tested during the course of the season. And their lack of experience will lead to hiccups down the road.

Calling them Scudetto contenders already is premature, but I wouldn't be surprised to find them stealing one of those 3 CL spots.

The hype is mostly coming from those games though, they've lost points they shouldn't have already. If they had started in blistering form, they wouldn't have dropped the points they did. All I'm saying the games they played against us and Inter are just not good enough indicators of Napoli's credentials, which is why the hype is unnecassary. Anyways, at the end of the day, all this hype will only be baggage for Napoli to carry along the way.


I agree completely

I don't think dropping points to Fiorentina is exactly shameful, they'll give anyone a game on their day. As for the only other points they dropped, that's just part of the learning curve for a CL team. Mazzarri rested far too many players after the CL game (Cavani, Hamsik, Inler, Cannavaro all on bench. Lavezzi not in squad) and it hurt them. But it's happened early, now he knows which players he can rely on to rotate and who he can't really afford to rest. Better for them it happens now than late in the season.

10 points in 5 games is a good start. Especially when 3 of those games were Inter, Milan and Fiorentina. 9 scored and only 3 conceeded too.

If they're not title contenders, nobody is. They've beaten the top 2 from last year and they don't count for whatever reason, so any other win is going to be "well, so they should beat them".. Napoli can't win basically.

This post has been edited by kurtsimonw: Oct 2 2011, 01:03 PM

Catania against Novara was some game!It ended 3-3,Catania took the lead twice,but Novara made a 3-2 comeback,to be tied at 3-3 in the end.Gomez was very impressive.

Roma will be the champion! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/devilsmiley.gif)