Napoli’s strong start fuels title expectations

Last weekend, Napoli chalked up their third straight league win after beating Bologna 3-1 to go top of the Serie A for the first time this season as champions Juventus lost to Inter and Roma failed to clear a tough hurdle away at Fiorentina. Against Bologna, Napoli took an early lead, through Jose Callejon, but despite seeing more of the ball, they were unable to add more goals before half-time. For Callejon, this was his 50th goal since joining Napoli in 2013 from Real Madrid. After the break, Simone Verdi grabbed an equaliser for Bologna against the run of play but, right on the hour, the game took a twist in the right direction for Napoli when coach Maurizio Sarri introduced Arkadiusz Milik. The former Ajax hitman made all the difference as he restored the home side’s lead within seven minutes of coming on before adding another one to push the result beyond Bologna’s reach. It is worth mentioning that this was Napoli’s 26th win in 58 home meetings with Bologna. Following a below-par display in a 2-2 draw at newcomers Pescara on the opening day of the Serie A campaign last month, Napoli have bounced back in style to raise the fans’ expectations of a first scudetto since...