Napoli slump to another heavy defeat
Napoli's dismal start to the season continued on Wednesday evening as they suffered a 4-1 Champions League defeat against Porto. The result leaves the Italian side with just three points from their opening four European fixtures. Allegri's side have now lost three matches in the competition this term.
Across all competitions, Napoli have tasted defeat seven times in just 14 outings, piling early pressure on the entire squad. The latest setback in Portugal has exposed tensions within the camp. Hojlund openly disagreed with his manager's post-match assessment after Allegri claimed the performance was good for the opening 70 minutes.
Hojlund rejects Allegri's positive performance claims
Hojlund did not share his manager's optimism when fulfilling his post-match media duties. The Denmark international insisted that simply playing reasonably well is no longer enough for the struggling side.
"I disagree; I think, of course, it’s not a bad game. I can agree with this, but we have to stop conceding bad goals, and we have to start winning football matches," Hojlund told Amazon Prime.
"We’ve lost too many games this season. It’s difficult to speak about it. I think we are in a very dark place right now, and we need to work."
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Entire club must shoulder the blame
The Danish striker looked visibly disheartened after completing the full 90 minutes. He admitted to feeling both disappointed and angry about the current situation, despite battling illness in the build-up to the fixture. Rather than purely blaming the players on the pitch, Hojlund demanded accountability from top to bottom. He wants everyone associated with Napoli to reflect on their recent failures.
"Perhaps because I’ve been a bit sick, I’m a bit tired now after 90 minutes, but we must look at ourselves in the mirror," Hojlund added. "Not only players, everybody in the football club needs to take responsibility."
Lazio clash offers chance for redemption
Napoli must quickly regroup as they look to salvage their stuttering campaign. Allegri and his players have very little time to dwell on their latest Champions League disappointment. The Partenopei will host Lazio in Serie A on Sunday. A victory is desperately needed to lift the gloomy mood surrounding the club and ease the mounting pressure on Allegri.