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Napoli has gone through several ups and downs during their time in Serie A. They have played some scintillating football of late but have failed to win the elusive Scudetto since the time of Diego Armando Maradona.
The current season has seen the Naples faithful being cautiously optimistic about ending their long title drought. They currently hold a nine-point lead over defending champions AC Milan, who are in second place after 18 games.
With more than 20 games still to go, a lot can happen in Serie A. This article will explore why Napoli might still slip up in the title race.
#3 Napoli Are inexperienced leaders
Jump back to the final gameweek of the 2020-21 season. Napoli needed a win on the final day to book the fourth spot and the final Champions League berth.
They were set to play against Verona, a team Napoli should have beaten given the match dynamics. However, they failed to win and could only manage a draw. In the process, they ended up relinquishing their spot to bitter rivals Juventus.
Napoli has shown in the past, in various other competitions as well, of crumbling under pressure. History also shows that the last two times Napoli led the charts in the winter (2015-16 and 2017-18), it was Juventus who ended up winning the Scudetto instead.
With the pressure of the chasing pack on them, Napoli needs to hold firm and try and extend the lead instead of thinking about defending it. Napoli has a nine-point lead but with 20 games to go (60 points to play for), the league is far from over.
#2 The challengers
AC Milan are suffering from a mid-season slump. However, the defending champions have the know-how to turn it around and with a talented squad in place, they can still defend their title come summer.
Inter Milan, currently in fourth place and 10 points behind Napoli, has started the New Year well. They managed a crucial win over Napoli (1-0) on January 5 and followed it up with a comprehensive 3-0 win against local rivals AC Milan in Super Coppa.
Juventus have done well to climb up after a horrid start to the season. They were on a run of eight wins before being humbled 5-1 against Napoli on January 14. Juventus are still placed third in the table and are very much capable of challenging for the Serie A title this season.
#1 Napoli's lack of consistency
Overall, the competitors seem to be recovering well. With 20 crucial games coming up, along with domestic cup games and European trophies to play for, the next few months are likely to prove difficult.
Napoli is good at winning head-to-head games against challengers. What they are poor in is at maintaining their consistency over a run of games. Hence, despite being a fluid, attacking team with great potential, Napoli has failed to win a Serie A title this century.
Will that change come the end of the season? Let us know what you think in the comments below.
