Serie A Reaction: Napoli Are Officially Scudetto Contenders

Prior to the start of the Serie A season, many experts were anxious to see how Napoli were going to respond after a fairytale 2010/2011 campaign.

After booking a ticket to the Champions League after a 20-year hiatus, Napoli were looking to use prior momentum to successfully contend for a Scudetto.

By the looks of the first five games, there is no questioning Napoli’s title dreams.

The Azzurri have seen the beginning part of their campaign boast many tough fixtures, but they have taken them all in stride and have effectively dispelled the notions of unconvinced pundits.

The Neapolitan outfit has already faced the likes of Milan, Inter, Manchester City and Villarreal thus far, a schedule that would strike fear in any squad. Yet Napoli has refused to lie down to their opponents and have achieved maximum points in all but the Manchester City tie.

This weekend, Napoli traveled to Inter to cap off a challenging opening few weeks to the season.

And excluding some controversial calls from head official Gianluca Rocchi, Napoli destroyed Inter and firmly cemented their place as Serie A’s elite team.

The display from Napoli was nothing short of clinical, disciplined and informative. This result not only solidified Napoli’s rise, but perhaps more importantly, Inter’s increasing demise and weaknesses.

Napoli were blessed to see Inter’s Joel Obi controversially sent off on 41 minutes, but nothing can be taken away from their performance. They were collected in the back, kept their cool during tackles and were clinical with their chances.

The statistics from the match heavily favored the Naples squad, who took more shots, had four more corners and dominated possession.

Goals from Hugo Campagnaro, Christian Maggio and Marek Hamsik gave Napoli all three points, and showed how merciless and ruthless Napoli can be on any given day

Having their talisman striker Edinson Cavani sidelined due to injury makes this win all the more credible. Napoli are proving they have the depth, obedience and timely luck needed to bring the Scudetto back to southern Italy.

Cavani was orchestral in Napoli’s route of AC Milan a few weekends ago, as he bagged three goals and a Man of the Match award subsequently followed.

And while Milan seemed to dominate the opening portion of that match, Napoli soon found their footing and through Cavani began to put a stranglehold on the Scudetto-holders.

Both games have similar parallels because Inter and Milan appeared to be the biggest threat to Napoli’s title aspirations. After witnessing how easily Inter crumbled against the Azzurri’s pace and tempo, Milan look to be the bigger nuisance.

Napoli is desperate to regain Serie A dominance, something they haven’t been able to achieve since Diego Maradona plied his trade there.

This weekend saw Napoli put in a performance that will definitely catch the eye of not only their Serie A affiliates, but also their European foes.