In Naples, the crisis is now more visible than ever. Traveling to Porto on Wednesday in the Champions League, the Azzurri conceded their seventh defeat of the season in all competitions (4-1), but also displayed worrying nervousness. The image of the heated altercation between Kevin De Bruyne and Lorenzo Lucca at the end of the game illustrated the tensions currently running through the Neapolitan locker room. In the process, Scott McTominay did not hide his annoyance at the situation. “ We have to play better in both areas, we can’t continue like this. We lost 4-1, obviously I’m angry. We have a lot of injuries, but that can’t be an excuse, even if it’s always the same players who come on the pitch. Everyone needs to go home and think about what they can do to improve tomorrow “, explained the Scottish community.
An annoyance which is justified by the worrying sporting situation of the Neapolitan club. Naples is in eighth place in Serie A, is already 14 points behind the leader, Lazio, and is nine points from fourth qualifying place for the C1. On the European scene, Massimiliano Allegri’s squad is the only Italian team not to appear among the top 24. Further proof of the division within the locker room, the exit of Matteo Politano from Sky Italiacriticizing foreign players in particular for not speaking out about the situation. “ Everyone needs to examine their conscience. I put myself forward: I would like others to do it too. Not just us Italians… »
A ritual to re-mobilize the group
Faced with this critical situation, Massimiliano Allegri is being singled out more than ever. Last night, the transalpine coach did not want to blame his players, mainly citing the lack of solutions on his bench. “ We would have liked to bring in fresh and athletic players, but I only had attackers on the bench. To play matches that require such an expenditure of energy, you have to be able to make changes. Otherwise, we can’t do it, it’s simple. You can only maintain such a rhythm if you have eight or nine changes “. To try to escape this negative spiral, Naples is preparing to carry out a ritiro, according to La Repubblica.
A decision which would have been taken even before the new rout on the Dragão pitch, but which Allegri’s group seems to greatly need. The players should therefore remain together until the reception of Lazio (Sunday, 12:30 p.m.), with the objective of closing ranks and preparing as best as possible for the arrival of the championship leader. Facing the Romans, Massimiliano Allegri himself spoke of a “ final », as the urgency is felt. While the European markets are moving dangerously apart and internal tensions are accumulating, the Italian technician is more threatened than ever. In the event of another defeat, he could leave Napoli, only four months after his arrival.
