Naples: Max Allegri Doesn’t Want to Hear Any More Talk About Kevin De Bruyne
Napoli bounced back with a home win over Bologna after two consecutive losses in Serie A, but Sunday night’s 1-0 victory over Bologna did not fully satisfy either the fans or Massimiliano Allegri. In his postgame comments, the Napoli coach explained the reasons behind his frustration and also clarified the situation regarding Kevin De Bruyne, who had been the subject of criticism early in the season and did not play the full 90 minutes against Bologna either.
“I substituted him because of cramps; he gave it his all,” Allegri told ‘Sky Sport’ regarding De Bruyne. “Given his age, we need to manage him a bit, and throughout his entire career, he’s played near the striker. That’s why I put him there. It’s impossible to question him, given his ability to create space and know when it’s time to drop back. Kevin is a player unlike any other; you can tell just by watching how he controls or passes the ball.”
“We beat Bologna because Napoli took the field with the intensity that had been missing against Como and Inter,” Allegri added. “At times I got frustrated because there were ways to handle certain situations better, especially when we had possession. We need to do that in the opponent’s box, not in our own half. Even with Lucca, when he came on, I told him to spread out wide. We have a lot of talented young players who have the potential to improve significantly. Like Favasuli, who’s excellent and also came on really well against Arsenal. Politano and Vergara were subbed out as early as the 45th minute because, with the heat we’re experiencing at this time of year, it can sometimes be helpful to rotate the players as early as halftime.”
It was Favasuli who made the difference in the match against Bologna, coming on in the second half to replace Politano alongside Lang, who took Vergara’s place. The young Napoli player delivered the decisive assist to Lobotka in the 66th minute, finding the Slovak midfielder in the box with a first-rate pass. In the final minutes, Favasuli nearly doubled the lead but was denied only by an outstanding Pessina. This performance confirms his current good form, already evident in his Champions League debut against Arsenal.
The victory over Bologna allows Napoli to climb to 6 points in the standings, in ninth place, after a season start that was anything but easy. The Azzurri had opened the season with an away win in Genoa against Genoa, thanks to goals by De Bruyne and Vergara in the second half, before suffering consecutive losses against Como, Inter, and—in the Champions League—against Arteta’s Arsenal, which had won 1-0 at the Maradona Stadium thanks to Odegaard’s goal in the 75th minute.
It was precisely this losing streak that had fueled persistent rumors in recent hours about a possible coaching change. According to some reports, at least three managers currently without a team were monitoring the situation: Raffaele Palladino—who was even present in the stands at the Maradona Stadium during the match against Arsenal—Thiago Motta, and Sergio Conceição. Sunday’s victory dispels, at least for the moment, these speculations, restoring to Allegri the peace of mind he needs to work and correct the flaws that have been evident in this early part of the season.
