As we head into the international break, Napoli are the only team in Serie A who still boast a 100% record this season.
The Azzurri have won all of their opening seven league games in 2021/22 and find themselves atop the Italian top-flight standings – two points ahead of second-place Milan.
Having netted 18 goals this term (2.6 goals per game), Luciano Spalletti’s men are the second-highest scorers in Serie A.
At the opposite end of the pitch, they have conceded a measly three goals (0.4 goals per game) – meaning they boast the best defensive record in the division.
Following such an impressive start to the campaign, the question on everyone’s lips is: can Napoli finally win their first Scudetto in over three decades?
Well, if the opening stages of the 2021/22 season are anything to go by, the Azzurri are on course to end their 32-year wait for their third Serie A title.
They have bagged at least two goals in each of their first seven league outings this term, including giant 4-0 victories over Udinese and Sampdoria.
Spalletti’s side have also kept four clean sheets across their opening seven games, giving them a shutout rate of 57%.
Victor Osimhen has been the star of the show in attack so far, notching four goals and one assist in six Serie A appearances.
Meanwhile, Lorenzo Insigne (2 goals, 3 assists), Hirving Lozano (2 goals, 2 assists) and Fabian Ruiz (2 goals, 1 assist) have all chipped in.
Centre-back duo Kalidou Koulibably and Amir Rrahmani have also contributed two goals apiece, underlining the team’s versatility.
Not only has Spalletti got Napoli playing an exciting brand of attack football, but he has also tightened things up in defence.
That is, of course, something that former manager Gennaro Gattuso failed to do during his team at the club.
Although Napoli have already beaten Juventus this season, they have yet to face the likes of Inter, Milan, Roma, Lazio and Atalanta.
Still, you can’t take anything away from their eye-catching start to the campaign – and current signs suggest they can beat the league’s top teams further down the line.
Napoli’s two Serie A triumphs came during a four-season hot streak between 1987 and 1990, with the iconic Diego Maradona leading the way.
Since then, however, they have finished as runners-up four times in the past nine seasons and third in three of their previous 11.
Yet, having made their best start to a Serie A season since 2017/18, there is a sense that Spalletti’s Napoli can achieve something special this term.