Still in top form, Napoli are starting to gain ground at the top of the table.

NAPLES, TUESDAY — This season, Napoli has given strong signals that their squad is stronger and has acquired the character of a champion. "The Little Donkey" has consistently won through the fourth week of the Italian League season. They are starting to open up a gap in the race for the capolista, or top spot in the standings.

Napoli won 3-2 against the promoted team, Pisa, on Tuesday (23/9/2025) early morning WIB, at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium. This result allowed Kevin De Bruyne and his teammates to overtake Juventus from the top position. Napoli is now two points ahead of Juve.

This record allows Napoli to take the lead in the standings ahead of last season. When Napoli won the 2024-2025 Scudetto, or Serie A title, in the sixth week, coach Antonio Conte led his squad to the top of the table.

In the match against Pisa, Conte celebrated three goals scored by his players: Billy Gilmour (39th minute), Leonardo Spinazzola (73rd minute), and Lorenzo Lucca (82nd minute). The two goals from the visiting team were scored by M'Bala Zola through a penalty execution after one hour of play, and then Lorran scored the second goal for his team in the 90th minute.

Conte acknowledged that although the status and quality of the two teams are like heaven and earth, Pisa posed a tough challenge for Napoli. He felt that Pisa's game featured a solid defense and often threatened through quick counterattacks.

"It is never easy to face a team like them (Pisa). This is because they heavily rely on physical strength combined with high intensity and possess speed," said Conte to Sky Sport Italia.

Two failures by Napoli to maintain possession led to the creation of two goals for the visiting team. Although playing under pressure during the added time of the second half, Napoli managed to secure three important points.

"We are pleased to start the competition with four victories. This is an extraordinary boost to navigate a very balanced season," said Conte, the owner of the Italian League champion with three different teams, namely Juve, Inter Milan, and Napoli.

In addition to being two points ahead of Juve, Napoli is also three points clear of AC Milan and AS Roma. Meanwhile, Inter remains in tenth place with a total of six points from four matches.

This season's winning streak doesn't necessarily indicate Napoli can continue their superiority from last season. When they won their fourth Scudetto in the club's history, and their first under Conte, they led the standings for 21 matches.

At the beginning of the 2025-2026 season, Napoli's perfect record has not been tested against top teams in Italy. Sassuolo, Cagliari, Fiorentina, and Pisa are all positioned one level below the Little Donkey.

The real challenge for Napoli will present itself in the fifth week. They will visit the home ground of AC Milan, San Siro Stadium, on Monday (29/9/2025) in the early hours WIB.

After starting the competition poorly due to a defeat by the promoted team, Cremonese, "The Red and Black" has shown a positive trajectory under the management of Massimiliano Allegri. They have collected three consecutive victories and maintained a clean sheet.

The season has just begun. We're focusing on one game at a time.

In addition to not having faced major teams yet, Napoli also has to divide its focus between defending the league title and competing in continental competitions. Conte stated that Napoli is still in the adaptation phase this season.

The former coach of the Italian national team believes that the Napoli squad needs adjustments to divide their focus between domestic competitions and the UEFA Champions League. Napoli did not participate in Europe last season, allowing them to concentrate on Serie A and become champions.

"Other clubs have systematically become accustomed to competing in Europe, while we have not. Playing every three or four days puts pressure on the physical and mental state that some of our players are not used to," said Conte.

Amid Conte's doubts, Napoli's substitute players proved they could be relied upon. Gilmour played his first match as a starter this season.

That trust was repaid by the Scottish player with a goal. The new Napoli striker, Lucca, also proved that he could serve as a backup for Rasmus Hojlund and Romelu Lukaku, who is currently injured. The 25-year-old Italian forward finally managed to score his first goal with Napoli.

Conte was very emotional in welcoming Lucca's goal, who was recruited from Udinese. He ran to chase the player celebrating the goal at the side of the field. Conte jumped to embrace his striker.

He came on in the 78th minute to replace Hojlund. Lucca's goal was his only shot of the match.

"I'm very happy to get three important points at home. We know we're a strong team, but we have to improve week after week to continue this winning streak," Lucca said, as reported by Corriere dello Sport.

Lucca stated that Conte did not give him any specific instructions. He was only asked to help the team secure a collection of three points. "The season has just begun. We are focused on one match at a time," he said.

Meanwhile, Pisa remains stuck in 19th place with only one point. Pisa is one of the six remaining teams that have yet to record a victory in this season's Italian League.

Despite failing to bring home points from Naples, the home of the defending champions, Pisa Coach Alberto Gilardino is proud of his team's hard work. According to him, the Pisa squad has executed the game plan effectively.

"Our ambition is to come to Naples and play with our distinctive approach. The players are following my instructions to the best of their abilities. We created several goal-scoring opportunities, as not all teams can do that against Napoli," said Gilardino. (AFP)