Tensions are running high between Massimiliano Allegri and the dressing room. That is according to Repubblica, which claims the team ignored the instructions of their new manager against Fiorentina and failed to take control of a match made straightforward by Gilmour's goal. There were too many mistakes, too much carelessness and, in the end, a mix of complacency and heavy fatigue. An attitude that sent the former AC Milan manager into a rage.
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Repubblica - Napoli-Allegri, the honeymoon is over: outburst in the dressing room and the De Bruyne case
Allegri felt betrayed
Over the summer, Allegri took a different, softer approach with Napoli's veterans. He eased the strain of an overly demanding physical preparation programme and lifted the mood inside and outside the dressing room during the training camps in Dimaro and Castel di Sangro. According to Repubblica, the Azzurri worked in such a cheerful mood that the manager was convinced he would reap the rewards from the very first competitive matches, in the name of the gratitude he had earned from the group. The pitch, however, gave different answers (3 defeats, one draw and only 2 wins) and Max must in some way have felt betrayed as well.
De Laurentiis and the two training-ground rows
According to Repubblica Allegri is disappointed by Aurelio De Laurentiis' disappearance from the scene. In his dealings with the club, too, the company-minded Max had been convinced he had built up some credit over the summer, after a transfer window in which he never complained about the failure to bring in reinforcements. Instead, the president has stayed away from the three home matches against Como, Arsenal and Bologna at the Maradona stadium, leaving the hot potato with the Livorno-born manager. He has been left alone to deal with the emergency caused by the many injuries and the players' growing nervousness, which erupted in a couple of rows during training at Castel Volturno. The first was punished too leniently for Noa Lang and the second went unpunished.
De Bruyne problem
Allegri also has a De Bruyne problem to solve.Repubblica writes that putting KDB back at the heart of the project does not seem to have been a good idea and this thorny issue has now landed on Allegri's desk too, with the manager doing everything he can to satisfy the club and revive the struggling champion. At the Franchi, Vergara, fresh from a call-up to the national team, even ended up back on the bench again to make room for him. The break will give them a chance to take stock and find a new balance. Repubblica writes that the honeymoon period of the new era is over.
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