Naples Worried About Alex Meret and Alisson Santos: The Condition of the Two Players

The first matchday of the Champions League group stage left Napoli with more downs than ups. In addition to the 1‑0 loss to Arsenal at the Maradona Stadium (Martin Odegaard’s goal in the 75th minute proved decisive), the Azzurri must now deal with injuries to Alex Meret and Alisson Santos, which immediately raised the level of concern among the coaching staff.

The Friuli-born goalkeeper did not return to the field after halftime after feeling discomfort in his adductor muscle during the first half. Meret tried to grit his teeth through the pain, even making a decisive save on a close-range header by Merino, but by around the 40th minute, he signaled to the bench that he needed to be substituted. At that point, Milinkovic-Savic began warming up and eventually entered the game at the start of the second half. In the coming days, Meret will undergo medical tests to assess the extent of the injury.

Alisson Santos, on the other hand, was forced to leave the game in the 58th minute. The winger collapsed after a burst of speed, walking off the field on his own but clearly in pain. This was another cause for concern for Allegri, who lost the Brazilian on a night already complicated by the result. The schedule offers some relief, featuring two league matches (September 13 against Bologna and September 20 on the road against Fiorentina), followed by the international break and the resumption of play on October 10 (another league match, against Frosinone at the ‘Maradona’ stadium).

In this regard, these upcoming matches will require careful decision-making and prudent management of the players’ energy, especially if medical tests confirm a significant layoff for Meret or Alisson. The match against Arsenal, aside from the result, therefore leaves a host of concerns that Napoli will need to address quickly so as not to further compromise an already difficult start to the season.