Allegri: ‘Spoke to De Bruyne, difficulty but not alibi for Napoli’
Max Allegri makes surprising changes as Napoli visit FC Porto in the Champions League, but is tight-lipped on Kevin De Bruyne’s role. ‘There are objective difficulties, but they mustn’t be alibis.’
It kicks off at the Estadio do Dragao in Porto at 20.00 GMT (21.00 CET).
The Partenopei had a rough start to the Champions League this season with defeats to Arsenal and Villarreal, but finally got off the mark by beating Bodo/Glimt 4-3 in a chaotic encounter at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.
This is a tricky trip to Porto, where Francesco Farioli’s side have a perfect domestic record, yet lost all three European fixtures to Manchester City, Real Betis and PSV Eindhoven.
Allegri explains Napoli choices
“Unfortunately, it’s a risk to start Noa Lang because he had strong cramp on Sunday, he played four games in a row, so I preferred to rest him today,” Allegri told Amazon Prime Video Italia.
“De Bruyne told me his ankle is fine, I spoke to him, so I put him in the starting XI.”
Where the Belgium international is playing is confusing, as it could be in support of lone striker Rasmus Hojlund, or in the deep playmaker role with Scott McTominay more advanced instead.
“We must be aware that in football there are periods where things don’t go well, we need to be calm, aware that we’ve got to do more, but it is up to us to turn things around,” noted Allegri.
“We have two more games to play before the break for international duty, hopefully we’ll recover a few players after that. I believe in football when you hold back by just a centimetre, something you might take for granted, it makes a difference and you are punished for that.
“The results prove it, especially in the Champions League, where we alternated results and performances, so it is a step up we need to make. An example is Bodo/Glimt, when we conceded too easily at the end, because goal difference is crucial in the Champions League with this format.
“It’s a matter of responsibility and understanding the moments of the match, which we also saw on Sunday against Juventus.”
The 2-0 defeat at Juventus over the weekend only added to the injury crisis, as Giovanni Di Lorenzo and Mathias Olivera were the latest absentees.
They join Stanislav Lobotka, Leonardo Spinazzola, Alisson Santos, Benoit Badiashile, Costantino Favasuli, David Neres and Alessandro Buongiorno on the treatment table, while Luca Marianucci is ineligible for this tournament.
“We have many players who were and are out for a long time, so we’ve got to try to make the results co-exist with the fitness levels of the players. There are some objective difficulties, but they mustn’t become alibis,” insisted Allegri.
“We cannot concede goals the way we did against Bodo/Glimt and Juve. We absolutely must do better. When you are not afraid of conceding a goal is when it becomes easier to let them in.”
