Corriere dello Sport commentary backs Allegri as Napoli face fixture pile-up

What happened

Napoli coach Massimiliano Allegri retains the confidence of the club's ownership despite a difficult run, according to a commentary published by Corriere dello Sport. The newspaper reported that president Aurelio De Laurentiis has confirmed his trust in Allegri, dismissing critics who have questioned the coach's methods. The piece cited seven defeats, a chain of injuries and a tenth-place league position as the burden weighing on the team, while noting it has the sixth-best attack and fifth-best defence among the top ten.

Report details

The commentary stressed that the central problem is a lack of time to train and build a clear identity. It said seven matches are scheduled in a month, with games every three days, and that the international break takes away eight players on national-team duty while another eight are carrying knocks. Training sessions are described as fragmented, with players getting hurt. The article also rejected the idea that Allegri has lost the dressing room, citing defender Rrahmani's assurance that this is not the case, and portrayed the coach as someone who gives simple, essential instructions rather than speeches.

On the table, the newspaper described the climb as arduous. It said nine teams are ahead of Napoli and that even if three of them falter, six would remain, with Inter, Roma and Como seemingly destined for the top three places. For fourth, Napoli would have to overtake Lazio, Milan and Juventus, who are respectively 14, 9 and 3 points ahead. The piece also mentioned possible January reinforcements, including Cacciamani, Varela and a holding midfielder, but called the task hard even with such help.

Regarding Europe, the commentary said Napoli cannot abandon the Champions League for the league, noting that Europe has already brought 58 million euros into the club's coffers and that more than 20 million more would arrive by reaching the round of 16. It framed the path to avoid trouble as beating Bruges, the Norwegian side Viking and the Azerbaijani club Sabah, and called for courage, goals, luck and a passionate, supportive Maradona stadium as a twelfth man. The report is a newspaper commentary and does not represent official club confirmation.