Max Allegri is benched after the Inter-Napoli match

Massimiliano Allegri found himself in hot water after the Inter-Napoli match. It wasn’t just the Napoli fans who were critical of how the seasoned Livorno-born coach handled the match at the Meazza—the same coach whom Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis brought in to lead the team this summer following the parting of ways with Antonio Conte. Allegri was criticized by the reporters from Italy’s three major print sports newspapers: *Gazzetta dello Sport*, *Corriere dello Sport*—which was the harshest—and *Tuttosport*.

Gazzetta dello Sport 5.5 Great defense, lethal counterattacks. This is Max’s Napoli. But it’s not like Max to concede 3 goals like that. He let Inter take the lead with timid substitutions.

Corriere dello Sport 5 The match had started off in the best possible way. But Napoli sat back too early, failing to exploit the open spaces. Not even the substitutions were convincing.

Tuttosport 5.5 A second straight loss, but more importantly, five goals conceded in two games despite switching to a 5-4-1 formation late in the match: this is clearly not yet Allegri’s team.

In the post-match interview, Allegri himself tried to lucidly analyze the collapse of his Napoli side, openly admitting his own responsibility: “Soccer doesn’t follow logic. I wanted the team to defend inside the penalty area, but perhaps it would have been better if I’d made different decisions.” The Livorno-born coach then pointed the finger at some individual errors that influenced the result: “At 2-1, we were too complacent. Plus, Inter is a strong team; their change of pace put us in trouble. We could have scored, but instead they did, and that’s how they won the game. We need to improve, of course, but we also need to stay calm. Right now, we’re paying too dearly for our mistakes; Alisson Santos lost the ball four times after controlling it with the sole of his foot. We need to improve in that area.”

Journalist Enrico Varriale was quick to weigh in, singling out two players from the Neapolitan squad on social media: “Lucca, a klutz even on defense, and the disastrous Badiashile proved lethal for Allegri, who now faces the difficult task of lifting the spirits of a team that came close to a major upset but returns home from the Meazza empty-handed.” Varriale did, however, acknowledge the merits of the Azzurri’s overall performance, emphasizing that “the substitutions highlighted the difference in quality between the two teams’ rosters,” identifying the depth of Inter’s bench as the decisive factor that turned the tide of the match.

For Napoli, this marks their second consecutive league loss, following the home defeat against Como on Matchday 2, leaving Allegri’s team stuck on 3 points. It’s been a difficult start to the season, made even tougher by absences: among the key players missing from the lineup was Scott McTominay, who was sidelined for an ablation procedure to correct a mild, benign arrhythmia. The Scot is not expected to return before October, with the club indicating that his first possible match will be the home game against Frosinone on October 11.

The schedule offers no respite for the Azzurri: on Tuesday, September 9, their European debut is scheduled at the Maradona Stadium against none other than Arsenal—the very club from which Napoli had hoped to sign Gabriel Jesus.