De Bruyne row: Napoli plunged into chaos

Following the defeat against FC Porto, the crisis at SSC Napoli is deepening. An incident on the pitch has further heightened tensions within the squad.

Nerves are clearly on edge at SSC Napoli. In the closing minutes of the Champions League match away at FC Porto, Kevin De Bruyne gestured disapprovingly towards Lorenzo Lucca, presumably because he felt the striker was running the wrong route.

According to *La Gazzetta dello Sport*, the striker then stood almost nose to nose with the Belgian star and shouted “Get lost!” several times – until teammates stepped in, separated the two and restored at least a semblance of calm. Within the club itself, however, the atmosphere is anything but calm.

In the end, Massimiliano Allegri’s side suffered a 1–4 defeat on Wednesday evening – their third loss in four Champions League matches. With just one win (4–3 against Bodø/Glimt), the Italians sit 27th in the table and would currently be eliminated from the Champions League.

Their remaining opponents in the Champions League are Manchester City, Club Brugge, Sabah and Viking Stavanger. On paper, the remaining fixtures look manageable, but given their current form, even the supposedly weaker opponents could pose a threat to Napoli.

Politano: “I wish a few other team-mates would explain themselves”

After the match against Porto, the players’ comments were somewhat at odds with one another. “I apologise to the fans who follow us and to the viewers at home. I’m absolutely livid; we need to examine our consciences, keep our mouths shut and get on with the work,” Matteo Politano made his thoughts clear.

But at the same time, he also called his teammates to account: “I always stand by my name. I wish a few other team-mates would speak up, not just us Italians all the time … But well, that’s just how it is.”

Ultimately, however, it wasn’t just the Italians who spoke out after the defeat. The comments from the foreign players, including some of the key players, also resonate in a worrying way and give cause for reflection. All this points to a dressing room where things are far from being calm and harmonious.

“We need to improve; we’re really going through a difficult phase of our season,” emphasised Danish striker Rasmus Hojlund. “We all need to work on getting better. I don’t agree with Allegri; we didn’t put in a good performance, we didn’t play well!” His message is unambiguous: “We all need to take a long, hard look at ourselves and take responsibility – from the players, through the manager, right up to the club.”

Napoli ahead of crucial clash with Lazio

Things are also going only so-so for Napoli in the league at the moment. They are already six points adrift of the European places and face league leaders Lazio Rome this weekend. “The match against Lazio is like a cup final for us. After that, hopefully a few players will be back during the international break,” said Allegri, looking ahead to the crucial league fixture.

A glance at the statistics highlights the scale of the problems: in their first 14 competitive matches, Napoli have already conceded 24 goals. Particularly striking is the concentration of goals conceded in the closing stages. The team have conceded 14 goals in the final 30 minutes of matches alone. This is a clear indication that Napoli are increasingly losing their stability and grip on the game, particularly towards the end of matches.

Napoli plagued by injuries

However, it is also true that the southern Italians are currently plagued by a significant run of injuries. For the clash with FC Porto, Allegri had to do without as many as ten players, either due to injury or because they were ineligible to play. As a result, only three outfield players from the first-team squad took their places on the substitutes’ bench.

Nevertheless, the tight squad situation cannot be the sole explanation for the disappointing performances. The pressure on Allegri is mounting – and the manager is under more pressure than ever to find the right solutions quickly and get the team back on track.