Win over Bodø/Glimt lifts Napoli five places to 25th in UEFA ranking

The 4-3 win at the Maradona on Tuesday was also the club's 100th in Europe. Napoli were 30th in May but are still behind Inter, Roma, Fiorentina and Atalanta among Italian sides.

by Gennaro SanninoThursday 22 October, 23:10 CET· 2 hours ago

Ranking UEFA, il 4-3 al Bodø/Glimt vale cinque posizioni: Napoli 25°, quinto fra le italiane — Grafica Arena Napoli

Napoli climbed five places in a single night. The 4-3 win over Bodø/Glimt at the Maradona on Tuesday moves the club up to 25th in the UEFA ranking. At the end of last season, in May, they were 30th.

It was also the 100th win in Napoli's European history. We note it as a fact rather than a reason to celebrate. It came after two defeats, and we were at risk of not winning the game until the final minute.

Napoli are fifth among Italian clubs. Inter are 5th, Roma 13th, Fiorentina 18th and Atalanta 22nd. This needs saying plainly: after two league titles in three seasons, Napoli are still chasing Fiorentina and Atalanta in Europe. The ranking measures how much a side counts beyond its own borders, and right now we count for less than they do. Italy are also trying to climb the association ranking to earn an extra Champions League place, so every point Napoli win matters to the whole Italian game as well.

We know how we got here. First came a 0-1 home defeat to Arsenal, then a 3-1 loss at Villarreal on 13 October, and then the season's first three European points against the Norwegians. Napoli went ahead three times and were pegged back three times. A Bjørtuft own goal on 88 minutes settled it, and Fet pulled one back on 90. Bodø/Glimt had 57% of the ball. Allegri said it himself: "When we are in our own half, we are fragile."

"When we are in our own half, we are fragile."

The ranking rewards results, not performances

That is the whole point. The coefficient makes no distinction between a nervy 4-3 and a dominant 3-0. So the jump in the ranking came on the night the defence showed every one of its weaknesses.

The 30th place in May followed a Champions League campaign that ended 30th in the league phase, with one win, two draws and five defeats. That included the 6-2 loss to PSV, the heaviest European defeat in the club's history. Napoli have climbed five rungs since then. But as long as European games are won like this, every one of those rungs is shaky.

After three rounds of this season's Champions League league phase, Napoli are 22nd, in the play-off places. PSG and Liverpool have a perfect 9 points. Napoli's next European game is away to Porto on Wednesday 4 November at the Estádio do Dragão, kick-off 21:00 CET (20:00 UK, 15:00 ET). Tickets in the away end cost €30. That night should show whether the win over Bodø/Glimt was the start of a recovery or a one-off.

Before Porto, though, Roma visit the Maradona on Saturday 24 October at 18:00 CET (17:00 UK, 12:00 ET). The club has named it as the second test for Allegri. The ranking can wait until November. The coach has to give an answer on Saturday.