Napoli’s seven points from the opening five Serie A rounds have given Massimiliano Allegri his most testing early chapter in charge, but the club’s recent past argues against treating September as a verdict. At this stage, a modest return can still precede a season of recovery, just as a brighter start has sometimes concealed problems that later overwhelmed the coach.
Key takeaways
- Napoli have taken seven points from five league matches, their second-lowest opening across the past 11 seasons.
- The campaign began with a win over Genoa, followed by defeats to Como and Inter, victory against Bologna and a draw at Fiorentina.
- Maurizio Sarri’s first Napoli side had only six points after five games in 2015-16 before finishing second on 82 points.
- Carlo Ancelotti collected nine points from his first five fixtures in 2019-20 but was dismissed three months later.
- Rudi Garcia’s 2023-24 tenure ended in November, with Napoli eventually slipping to tenth place.
Early points do not settle a Napoli season
Only Sarri made a slower five-match start during the same 11-year period. His first side, still searching for its identity in 2015, had six points after defeat to Sassuolo, draws with Sampdoria, Empoli and Carpi, and a win against Lazio.
Sarri initially brought the 4-3-1-2 that had served him well at Empoli. Yet Napoli’s squad contained wide attacking options in Lorenzo Insigne, Dries Mertens and José Callejón, alongside Gonzalo Higuaín up front and midfielders Marek Hamsik and Allan. The eventual move to a 4-3-3 gave the side a clearer direction.
From 20 September 2015, that Napoli became one of the division’s most productive teams. Higuaín scored 36 league goals to set a Serie A record, while the club reached 82 points and finished runners-up. That total is also the figure required for Napoli’s fourth Scudetto.
Allegri’s current return has therefore been poor by Napoli’s recent standards, but it is not without a precedent for improvement. His own history includes Juventus overturning an 11-point gap after the tenth matchday to win the title a decade ago.
When stronger starts unravelled
Napoli have also learned that a healthier opening total offers no guarantee of calm. Ancelotti’s 2019-20 team won against Fiorentina, Sampdoria and Lecce, while losing to Juventus and Cagliari, to reach nine points after five matches.
Within three months, however, Ancelotti was removed following the turmoil caused by the squad’s refusal to take part in an unpopular training retreat. Aurelio De Laurentiis appointed Gennaro Gattuso, but Napoli ended that season in seventh.
Garcia’s experience after the 2023 title was similarly revealing. His side opened with wins over Frosinone and Sassuolo, then lost at home to Lazio before drawing away at Genoa and Bologna. He was dismissed in November after defeat to Empoli.
Walter Mazzarri and Francesco Calzona were unable to reverse the decline that followed, and Napoli concluded the campaign in tenth. The lesson for Allegri is neither reassurance nor alarm on its own: five matches provide a measure of the present, but not yet the shape of the whole championship.
