Napoli beat Bologna but stay tenth as table shows no mercy

A 1-0 win over Bologna does not move Napoli from where they started the day, and the chasing pack up top is only getting more crowded.

by Gennaro SanninoMonday 14 September, 05:59 CET· 3 hours ago

Napoli-Bologna Napoli decimo anche dopo il Bologna: il distacco non si tocca — Grafica Arena Napoli

Napoli beat Bologna 1-0 and ended the round exactly where they began it: tenth, with 6 points from 4 games and a goal difference of 6-5. Three points that keep them within touching distance of the mid-table group, but that have not shifted their position after four rounds.

Further up, the table shows a title race bunched together at the top. Lazio lead with 10 points from 4 games, four more than Napoli from the same number of matches. Roma and Inter sit on 9, but with a game in hand; Cagliari also have 9 points from the same 4 games as Napoli, while Milan have 8. Behind them a crowded group on 7 points — Como (from 3 games), Frosinone, Juventus and Sassuolo — squeezes Napoli down to tenth despite Sunday's win.

A debate the result does not settle

The mood around the club remains what it has been in recent days. Part of the fanbase is calling for unity and trust in Massimiliano Allegri's project, while another part criticises football it judges too passive and wants him sacked. The win over Bologna does not end that argument, only delays it: tenth place after four rounds is a fact that carries more weight than the impressions taken from the pitch.

The schedule allows no time to draw breath. On Sunday 20 September Napoli travel to Florence for Fiorentina-Napoli, needing to build on Sunday's win and start closing the gap on the sides making the faster start to the season.