Napoli made a commanding statement in their Serie A clash with Cremonese, cruising to a 3-0 victory over the struggling side and extending their lead at the top of the table to 16 points. The victory was never in doubt as Napoli took control of the match early on, with goals from Lorenzo Insigne, Fabian Ruiz and Josip Ilicic completing the rout.
Napoli have been dominant since getting off to a slow start at the beginning of the season. With this victory they have now gone undefeated since mid-October and collected an impressive 45 points from their last 15 games – an average of three per game.
The match also saw Napoli continue their attacking dominance, having now scored 35 goals in just 13 league matches since manager Carlo Ancelotti took charge. This is more than any other team in Serie A this season, scoring nearly three times as many goals as second-placed Juventus (12). They have also scored more than 10 goals more than any other side in Europe’s top five leagues over this spell.
The performance was underpinned by a solid defensive display, with Napoli making it eight clean sheets in 11 games and conceding just three goals during this period – an excellent record for a team that usually plays such expansive football.
Insigne opened the scoring for Napoli after just six minutes following some good build-up play between Piotr Zielinski and Arkadiusz Milik. The Italian then doubled his tally shortly after to put his side 2-0 up before substitute Ruiz got on the scoresheet late on with a well taken goal – his fifth of the season.
Ilicic rounded out proceedings with another sublime finish late on, making it 3-0 and ensuring that Napoli continued their march towards what looks set to be yet another Serie A title triumph. The win sees them move 16 points clear at the top of table – an astonishing feat considering they were level on points with fourth placed Inter Milan after seven games played earlier in the season.
Despite winning so convincingly against Cremonese there were still occasions where Luis Alberto’s men looked vulnerable defensively – something which Ancelotti will need to address if Napoli are to mount a serious challenge for European honours next year. Nevertheless, it’s hard not to be impressed by what they have achieved so far this campaign and fans can feel proud wearing their iconic light blue Napoli jersey knowing that they have built one of Europe’s best sides under their manager’s stewardship over recent months.
There’s still plenty of time left in the season, but it looks as though Napoli have all but wrapped up their latest Serie A title and they will be sure to make a statement when Europe’s elite come knocking next season. In the meantime, Ancelotti and his squad can enjoy another dominant victory made possible by their brilliant play this season.