How far can Luciano Spalletti's Napoli side go this season?

Looking at the top five European leagues, the one club which has outperformed early expectations are Napoli.

The Italian outfit are not only top of Serie A after the opening nine games, but have also made some serious in-roads in the Champions League.  

As things stand, Luciano Spalletti’s side are yet to lose a single match, with Lecce and Fiorentina being the only teams to at least halt Gli Azzurri to draws.  

So what is the secret behind Napoli’s successes? And more importantly, can their immense start to the campaign lead to something special?

Here, we take a closer look at the stats.  

Goals, goals, goals 

On one hand, the secret to Napoli’s success is simple. They’re simply a mean, green, scoring machine.  

As things stand, no team in the Serie A has scored as many goals as Napoli.  

Spalletti’s men have bagged 22 goals this season, with Lazio being the only other side to come close with 21.  

In the Champions League, those numbers are even more frightening. Napoli have found the back of the net on 17 occasions in four games.  

The Italians kicked off their group campaign with an emphatic 4-1 victory over Liverpool. They followed that up with a 3-0 thrashing of Rangers at Ibrox.  

Since then, Ajax have felt the full wrath of Napoli, with the side picking up a 6-1 win in Amsterdam and a 4-2 success in Naples.  

No team in the Champions League this season has scored anywhere near as many goals as Napoli. This includes Bayern Munich (13), Man City (11), Barcelona (8), Real Madrid (8), or even Paris Saint-Germain (7).  

So where exactly are all these goals coming from? The answer goes a long way in explaining their recent exploits.  

Georgian forward Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is the current goalscorer with seven efforts across all competitions.  

Italian forward Giacomo Raspadori is next with five. Piotr Zielinski, Matteo Politano and Giovanni Simeone have all got four.  

Cameroon midfielder Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa makes the list with three, alongside highly-rated Nigerian forward Victor Osmihen.  

Looking at those numbers, it’s evident that almost every attacking player in the side has the ability to find the back of the net. But it’s not just the offensive armoury which has been causing all the damage.  

There are seven other players who scored goals this season who we have not mentioned. Three of them are defenders. 

Looking at the assist numbers, a similar story unfolds. A total of 13 players have produced at least one assist this season, with Zielinski leading the way on six.  

The fact this team has countless options around the field with the ability to produce and score goals, it can only bode well for their hopes of ending the campaign with a serious piece of silverware.  

Big few weeks ahead 

There are just eight games remaining before club football comes to a halt and players head for the 2022 World Cup.  

Many of these encounters could provide more clues as to whether Napoli have the tools to win a major trophy, or whether their start to the campaign is about to fizzle out.  

League games against AS Roma, Atalanta and Udinese are three fixtures many fans will be circling in their calendars.  

In the Champions League, on the other hand, the situation is slightly different.  

Having already secured progression into the knockout stages, the Italian outfit have the freedom to take their foot slightly off the gas.  

Games against Rangers and Liverpool should still make for interesting viewing, especially with the Reds looking for some retribution.  

With a top spot in the group still up for grabs, there could be more drama to come in the following few weeks.  

Nevertheless, the start to the season will certainly make many fans hopeful of honours arriving at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona. 

Napoli’s last Serie A title came in 1990, while their last European triumph came in 1989.