Massimiliano Allegri saw his severely weakened side fall to a disappointing two-goal exhibition reverse against second-tier opponents at Castel Volturno. Goals from Michael Venturi and Luca Di Maggio punished the Partenopei, who were crippled by international call-ups and an extensive injury list during an unconvincing warm-up encounter on Friday.
Serie B underdogs punish weakened hosts
The Partenopei struggled to cope with their spirited second-tier visitors during a joint training exercise at Castel Volturno. Goals from Venturi and Di Maggio capitalised on lapses in the home defence to seal an impressive victory for the away side. The workout offered Allegri a valuable opportunity to maintain competitive sharpness during the international hiatus, with his side currently languishing in ninth place in Serie A on seven points from five matches.
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Widespread absences trigger defensive reshuffle
This behind-closed-doors encounter was severely undermined by an acute personnel crisis that forced the coaching staff into fielding a makeshift line-up across the pitch. The absence of ten players away on international duty was compounded by an extensive casualty list sidelining key figures such as Alex Meret, Leonardo Spinazzola, and Scott McTominay. That predicament left Allegri leaning on a small core of available first-teamers, including Amir Rrahmani and David Neres, before turning to Antonio Nocerino's Primavera youth prospects after the break.
Manager assesses fringe squad fitness
Despite the scoreless defeat, Allegri was able to take encouragement from building match sharpness and tracking the conditioning of his fringe options. Benoit Badiashile, Lorenzo Lucca, and Sam Beukema were the only three players to complete the full 90 minutes. The manager treated the run-out purely as an exercise in rebuilding baseline fitness for his second string before granting the squad a brief weekend breather to reset ahead of their domestic return.
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Allegri's squad will regroup at the training ground on Monday to ramp up preparations for their matchday six clash against Frosinone on October 10. The club's medical staff are also set to evaluate McTominay's physical progress on Tuesday to determine his availability, according to La Gazzetta dello Sport. Meanwhile, this convincing victory provides an ideal platform for Nesta's men ahead of a testing Serie B return against Sampdoria.