Napoli’s 3-0 victory over Bologna keeps the team in first place

Napoli’s comfortable 3-0 win over Bologna maintains Luciano Spalletti in first place in Serie A. Goals by Fabian Ruiz and Lorenzo Insigne means that the Partenopei side is favorites for the Serie A title after a quarter of the 2021/22 season.

Napoli defying expectations

Gennaro Gattuso faced many difficulties as manager of Napoli last season. Frequent injuries and growing distrust from the team’s owners lead to an almost inevitable failure to meet all of the team’s expectations. This is where new manager Luciano Spallett started from.

After 10 matches, where Napoli won 9 of their encounters, it is safe to say that the club is defying expectations and laying claims to being one of the strongest teams in Serie A. Is winning the Scudetto outright a mere pipe-dream? Not after what we’ve seen in recent weeks.

Napoli’s 3-0 victory over Bologna

Napoli took on one of Italy’s most consistent sides, Siniša Mihajlović’s Bologna who lined up in a 3-4-2-1 formation. Spalletti responded by utilizing a 4-2-3-1 formation that has become integral to the team’s tactics and success rate this season.

The Naples side dominated almost all aspects of the game, registering numerous shots on target and controlling possession. Furthermore, Napoli’s double pivot, of Fabian Ruiz and Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa, was effective in blocking passes towards Musa Barrow and Riccardo Orsolini, Bologna’s biggest goal threats.

Fabian Ruiz’s early goal, together with a brace scored from the penalty spot by captain Lorenzo Insigne helped Napoli to an easy victory, the ninth of the season. It was also another clean sheet for veteran goalkeeper David Ospina.

As things stand, Napoli is in first place in Serie A, with the goal difference separating them from AC Milan. The team is clearly on an upward trend and talks of winning the Scudetto are feel completely justified.