Bergomi names Roma, not Napoli, as Inter's main title rival

Giuseppe Bergomi mapped out Serie A's title race five rounds in, in an interview with Corriere dello Sport. Napoli gets a mention, but only in passing.

Como need to be judged on their two competitions, but they keep you glued to the television. Overall there isn't this distance between Inter and the rest. Juventus and Milan have a duty to compete, Roma and Napoli have the status of a big club. And Gattuso is doing great work at Lazio.

Then, asked to name the most credible alternative to Inter for the title, Bergomi gives only one answer: Roma.

It's a double-edged sword. On one hand you feel invincible, on the other it isn't always Sunday. Roma the most credible alternative? Absolutely, because they have defensive solidity, physicality in midfield and real quality up front.

Napoli isn't mentioned again in that answer.

The table explains why that silence matters. After five rounds, Roma, Inter and Lazio lead on 13 points, with Cagliari on 12. Napoli are ninth on 7 points, from two wins, a draw and two defeats, with an attack that has scored 7 and conceded 6. The side arrives off a 1-1 draw in Florence, six points off the top, with only two unbeaten results in their last two games.

Napoli carry the status of a big club through history, and through what the club has said over the past two seasons — not by chance: two Scudetti in three seasons have raised the expectations of a fanbase no longer satisfied with a European qualification spot.

But Bergomi's label, read in full, says something else too. When it comes to naming who can really trouble Inter between now and May, the name that comes to mind for those watching from outside isn't Napoli's. A Napoli side ninth in the table, with an attack struggling to make an impact and a fanbase questioning the squad department by department after Florence, is struggling to back up with results a status it is still only granted in words.

The next chance to close that gap comes on Saturday 10 October, when Frosinone visit the Maradona for round six. Before then, only the international break separates Napoli from the pitch.