Napoli, there is little to be cheerful about: Como win on merit, now Inter and Arsenal

A few words on the individual displays. Meret was blameless for the two goals conceded into the same small corner, as was captain Di Lorenzo, who was less involved than his team-mates in the first-half defensive mistakes. Rrahmani and Anguissa were at fault for Como's second goal, Olivera for the first. To spell out the errors, the Uruguayan defender stepped out on Diao at the wrong time and for no reason, while the rest came from playing out from the back with culpable carelessness from two of the most experienced players.

Anguissa did not shine in midfield either, to put it mildly. He looked slow and awkward, in other words unrecognisable, quite apart from the crucial defensive error at 1-2. Surrounded by Fabregas' passers, Lobotka too often ran and passed to no effect, though he still led the final assault with determination. McTominay could not shake off the midfield's lacklustre display either, while Politano sacrificed himself going forward and tracking back without ever managing to make an impact. Noa Lang looked livelier on the other side, at least at the start. Hojlund was not yet fully involved, but he did not waste the chances he had. So much so that he crafted and finished the splendid low strike for the temporary 1-1.

In the second half, the changes helped, but not enough to make the difference they had in Genoa. De Bruyne was once again the sharpest and most dangerous player, which only made his half-hour cameo feel even more frustrating. Down the left, Spinazzola and Alisson had little impact, while Neres and Lucca only came into it during the late siege. By then, it was too late and Como had already shut up shop before celebrating the win.

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Napoli have turned the page, because they have no other choice. But they're looking at the fixture list with real apprehension. Next up is San Siro against Inter, then their first Champions League game against Arsenal at the Maradona. In other words, the champions of Italy and England. As they say in these situations, there will be little to be... cheerful about.