Albiol: Napoli were quicker and smaller in my day, Allegri's side is more physical

The Spaniard, now at Villarreal, faces his old club in the Champions League and tips Rafa Marín to keep developing under Allegri.

by Gennaro SanninoTuesday 13 October, 17:26 CET· 2 hours ago

Albiol con la maglia del Villarreal — Foto: goal.com

Raul Albiol will come up against Napoli as an opponent this evening at the Estadio de la Cerámica, and he has looked back on his time in Naples in an interview with Gazzetta dello Sport. The Spanish centre-back, at Napoli from 2013 to 2019 with 236 appearances and 6 goals, called those years "six spectacular years on the pitch", recalling a squad with "a lot of small, very technical and quick players" in the forward line. With that team he won a Coppa Italia (Italy's cup) and a Supercoppa Italiana.

On the current Napoli, Albiol is cautious: "We have to wait a bit to judge it, but the team is strong. More physical than my Napoli." He added that Allegri "needs time and the squad at full strength", calling him a coach he rates highly. Asked about the comparison with Rafa Marín, the centre-back now at the heart of Napoli's defence, he played it down: "We're different in our characteristics. He's gaining confidence, he's growing, with Allegri he can take another step." As the man to watch tonight, Albiol picked Gerard Moreno.