Napoli's director flags danger in Venice as Allegri rotates and Lucca gets his chance
Giovanni Manna says Napoli must get the approach right at bottom club Venezia, with Kevin De Bruyne benched and Lorenzo Lucca handed a start under scrutiny.
Napoli travel to the Stadio Pierluigi Penzo knowing a mid-table opponent in crisis can still be dangerous, according to sporting director Giovanni Manna, who used the phrase 'the approach will be fundamental' when speaking to DAZN Italia before kick-off.
The warning comes after an uneven stretch for the Partenopei, who beat Bologna and drew in Florence domestically before losing 3-1 away to Villarreal in the Champions League in midweek, Football Italia reports.
Manna framed the trip to Venice as a chance to restore some consistency. 'We need to get a result today to give a sense of consistency after the victory over Bologna and draw in Florence, as we've got to get moving up the table,' he said, adding that a run of head-to-head fixtures makes points more important than style right now.
Why Venezia are not the pushover their position suggests
Venezia sit bottom of the table having lost all seven games they have played this season across Serie A and the Coppa Italia, a run bad enough to cost Giovanni Stroppa his job. Davide Nicola takes charge for the first time against Napoli.
A coaching change often produces a short-term lift in energy and organisation before results catch up, which is presumably part of why Manna described the Venetian squad as strong rather than dismissing them as a side already beaten. Napoli's own away form adds to the caution: just one point from their last two Serie A matches on the road, by Manna's own account, means a difficult trip was already on the cards before Nicola's appointment changed the opponent's profile.
The De Bruyne question Allegri still has to answer
Kevin De Bruyne starts on the bench in Venice, one of two changes alongside Rasmus Hojlund as Max Allegri rotates his squad. The decision follows a tense moment during the Villarreal defeat, when the Belgian appeared reluctant to drop into a deeper playmaking role while Napoli trailed 2-1.
Manna played down any rift. 'I think we need to keep a balance here, it was a lot of bar talk, things got over-emphasised. We were down 2-1, there was tension, but then things get sorted out,' he said. He followed that with a clear statement of faith in the player: 'Kevin is a champion and he can play anywhere he wants to. We've got to help him and all the players. He's on the bench today, he can help coming on later.'
The episode is worth separating from the team news. A manager asking an elite creator to sit deeper under pressure, and that player resisting in the moment, is a tactical disagreement as much as a personal one — De Bruyne's instinct to stay higher and closer to goal when a game is slipping away is not unusual for a player of his profile. Starting him from the bench against a struggling Venezia side lets Allegri make the point without turning it into a confrontation, and keeps De Bruyne available to change the game late if needed.
Lucca carries the weight of Napoli's No. 9 shirt
Lucca's recall to the starting line-up comes after what Manna described as harsh treatment from supporters and media. The director was candid about what is now expected of him, invoking the forwards who previously wore Napoli's shirt before him.
'Lucca looks good in training, but has to understand the responsibility of wearing a shirt that was carried by the likes of Edinson Cavani, Gonzalo Higuain, Victor Osimhen and Romelu Lukaku,' Manna said. He added: 'He needs to put in a performance worthy of Napoli, but that doesn't mean feeling the pressure weighing on him, because we are not trying to do that. We all have faith in him, but it really does depend on him now.'
That last line is the sharpest part of the message. Manna is drawing a distinction between institutional support and personal responsibility — the club says it backs the striker, but the result of that backing is now in his hands alone. For a forward already under public criticism, a rotation match against the division's bottom side is as clear an opportunity as he is likely to get to answer it on the pitch rather than in further commentary.
Napoli's attention will quickly turn to Tuesday's Champions League fixture, which Manna flagged as another priority even before Sunday's game had kicked off. Managing the squad through that sequence — a wobbly league campaign, a midweek European test and a recovering forward line — is the balancing act now facing Allegri in Venice.