Allegri's priorities: Napoli must fix Serie A before chasing Europe
Massimiliano Allegri says Napoli still control their Champions League destiny ahead of the trip to Porto, but his comments reveal a coach more worried about a stalling league campaign.
Massimiliano Allegri returned to the touchline this week after a two-match Serie A suspension to find Napoli in an awkward position: solid enough in Europe to still dream of the knockout rounds, but inconsistent enough domestically that he now treats the league as the bigger emergency.
Reporting from Football Italia detailed his pre-match remarks at the Estádio do Dragão ahead of Wednesday's Champions League fixture against Porto, where he addressed both competitions and opened by offering condolences following the death of Tenerife striker Jesús de Miguel after a collision with Andorra goalkeeper Owono.
Why the league takes priority over Europe
Allegri's framing of Wednesday's game was deliberately measured. He pointed out that Napoli sit on three points from three Champions League group matches, having lost their opening two fixtures before beating Bodø/Glimt 4-3, and argued that reaching ten points would be enough to secure at least a play-off place in the competition's revamped league phase.
That is a reasonable target given the fixtures still to come. Napoli face Manchester City, which Allegri called almost impossible, alongside Club Brugge, Viking and Sabah, meaning qualification realistically hinges on taking points from the weaker sides in that group rather than springing a result in England.
Domestically the picture is worse. Napoli sit tenth in Serie A on 14 points, and during Allegri's touchline ban the team split its two matches: a 4-1 win at Monza followed by a 2-0 defeat at Juventus. That swing from dominant to toothless inside a week is precisely the inconsistency Allegri flagged when he noted Napoli have not yet strung together two league wins in a row this season.
The logic behind prioritising Serie A is straightforward. A top European finish offers no protection if the league campaign collapses, and Allegri's own words framed sorting out the table as the more urgent project, even with a continental tie still to play.
The defensive solidity Napoli have lost
Allegri flagged Porto's aggression at home and their technical and physical quality, but the more revealing admission concerned his own side. He said Napoli would need to defend well without the ball, adding that it is something they have done less of this season than in the past.
That is a significant concession from a coach historically associated with compact, low-block defending and disciplined transitions. If Napoli's shape out of possession has loosened, it would explain both the concession at Juventus and the uneven defensive totals that have left them mid-table rather than challenging at the top.
Porto's own form sharpens the stakes. Allegri noted they have won ten league games in a row and have also performed well in the Champions League, meaning Napoli cannot simply absorb pressure and hope to break on the counter; they will need control in build-up as well as discipline off it, particularly given his acknowledgment that Porto's pressing approach, whether man-for-man or with an extra body, remains uncertain and will shape how Napoli construct from the back.
Injuries, De Bruyne and the squad Allegri must rebuild
Allegri downplayed any suggestion that Napoli's injury list eases the pressure on this fixture, insisting instead that the priority is simply to recover personnel and turn a difficult run into a positive one. He confirmed Rasmus Højlund's fever had cleared, while Kevin De Bruyne's involvement depended on how training went on the day before kick-off.
Those fitness details matter for a side still searching for defensive and attacking continuity. A settled double pivot or a fit De Bruyne dictating tempo would give Allegri more control over games Napoli have recently been losing grip on, whether through the concession at Juventus or the fluctuating scorelines in Europe.
He also credited Porto's coach Francesco Farioli as a young manager who has already delivered strong results in both the Netherlands and Portugal, a nod that underlined how seriously Allegri rates Wednesday's opponent even while insisting Napoli's immediate focus remains fixing the league form that has left them outside the positions this squad was built for.