Allegri's call for patience masks a deeper problem at Napoli
A chastening defeat to bottom club Venezia has left Massimiliano Allegri preaching calm before a Champions League test against Bodo/Glimt, but his own words point to a squad short of control in key moments.
Massimiliano Allegri used the word patience four times in his pre-match comments ahead of Napoli's Champions League meeting with Bodo/Glimt, a sign of how far his team's confidence has slipped after a run that has brought defeats to Arsenal and Villarreal in Europe and a 1-0 loss to bottom-placed Venezia in Serie A, as reported by Football Italia.
A defeat that exposed Napoli's details
Allegri did not dress up Saturday's result. Speaking to Sky Sport Italia, he said Napoli "trust our teammates too much and don't predict mistakes, which is what happened on Saturday against Venezia," pointing to a collective failure to anticipate danger rather than a single individual lapse.
He was more specific about the mechanics of the goal itself, saying "we could've done better in that situation, as Rrahmani and the others tracked back too late when the mistake was made." That is a coach describing a breakdown in defensive transition: the moment possession is lost and a back line has to recover ground immediately, which Napoli's centre-backs did not do quickly enough.
The context from the Guardian's Nicky Bandini makes the defeat sting more. Venezia had taken not a single point from their opening six matches of the season, had fired manager Giovanni Stroppa after a 3-1 loss to Atalanta, and one supporter's banner had read, "I'll love you even if you win." Davide Nicola's first match in charge produced exactly that result, against a Napoli side expected to be competing at the other end of the table.
Patience as the watchword for Europe
Allegri framed the Bodo/Glimt fixture as a different kind of test, one defined by control rather than chance creation. "Champions League games are a little different to Serie A, first of all you need to be very organised and never lose patience, because in the last 20-25 minutes they can change totally," he said, citing Tuesday's game against Villarreal as an example of a result that looked settled before it slipped away.
His instructions for managing that risk were concrete: keep the ball moving, cut out unnecessary intermediate passes when a more direct option is available, and maintain discipline until the final whistle rather than easing off once a lead looks secure. He also warned that technical quality alone will not be enough against a team set up to absorb pressure, since Bodo/Glimt "defend well with a low block."
The Norwegian side's profile adds weight to that caution. They have built a reputation as a Champions League giant-killer, having eliminated Inter at the play-off stage last season, and arrived in Naples having lost 5-0 at Bayern Munich before beating Borussia Dortmund 1-0 at home, evidence that their level can swing sharply from one leg to the next.
Squad strain shapes team selection
Allegri's selection problems have compounded the tactical ones. Alisson Santos has joined Antonio Vergara, David Neres, Costantino Favasuli and Alessandro Buongiorno on the injury list, and the manager said he doubted Vergara would be fit even for Saturday's league fixture, since the midfielder has yet to train with the group.
That depletion has forced Kevin De Bruyne into a central playmaker role the Belgian does not enjoy, according to Allegri, while Andre Frank Zambo Anguissa starts for the first time since 5 September. Allegri explained the thinking with some candour: "Lobotka and Gilmour played a lot at international level, while Anguissa is back from a long injury, he played five minutes against Florence and then got hurt. I thought I'll start him, so if it happens again, I'll have a substitution left over." He added plainly, "I don't think it will happen, but he certainly doesn't have 90 minutes in his legs."
Taken together, the comments describe a manager managing fitness, confidence and system all at once, with Matteo Politano available again but little margin for further setbacks. Allegri's own diagnosis, that "the squad hasn't lost all its quality" and only needs "that little bit extra," is a more hopeful reading than the results of the past week fully support, but it is the one his team will have to prove true against Bodo/Glimt before Serie A asks the same question again at the weekend.