Allegri and De Bruyne Are Almost at the Point of No Return: Action Is Imminent

The crushing defeat in the Champions League against Villarreal has left a lasting impact at Napoli. Massimiliano Allegri and Kevin De Bruyne clashed during the match at the Estadio de la Cerámica, and there could soon be consequences.

During the match, the Tuscan coach repeatedly called out the Belgian star from the bench: the former Manchester City player remained indifferent, not even glancing at his coach, and continued to gesticulate wildly on the field and complain to his teammates. He was asking the team to play higher up the field, infuriating Allegri on the bench.

According to *La Gazzetta dello Sport*, the Livorno-born coach was extremely agitated after the match, even though he tried to avoid controversy on TV: “We didn’t understand each other, but if we don’t change our attitude in Venice, we’ll come away with broken bones.” According to Sky, the two reportedly had a confrontation in the locker room, and now the player could start on the bench in the next league match against Venezia.

From a technical standpoint, the loss to Villarreal brought to light the defensive frailties that have already surfaced this season. Napoli had taken the lead in the 8th minute thanks to Rrahmani, who did well to tap the ball into the net after his header had hit the crossbar, but then suffered a stunning comeback within a matter of minutes. In the 24th minute, Mikautadze capitalized on a short backpass by Politano to equalize, and two minutes later, Mouriño put his team ahead with a great right-footed shot from distance. The final 3-1 score came in the 86th minute courtesy of Oluwaseyi, effectively dashing any hopes of a comeback in the second half, even after Allegri had brought on Lucca to partner Hojlund and bolster the attack.