Allegri admits Napoli are fragile after 4-3 win over Bodø/Glimt

The head coach wants Napoli to look hard at what went wrong after conceding three at the Maradona, while Politano insists the legs are still there. Both men's words hold up against the scoresheet.

by Gennaro SanninoTuesday 20 October, 23:54 CET· yesterday

Politano con la maglia del SSC Napoli — Foto: tuttonapoli.net

Massimiliano Allegri said the most honest thing of the night: "When we are in our own half, we are fragile." The scoresheet backs him up. Hauge scored on 27 minutes, Helmersen on 62 and Fet on 90, and Fet also set up the other two.

Allegri did not dodge it. "We cannot concede goals like these," he said. He added that "Anguissa and McTominay are not yet at 100%". That sounds odd about McTominay, who scored twice and hit the bar on the hour. If that is the midfielder at half strength, the problem is somewhere else: the three goals Napoli conceded.

"When we are in our own half, we are fragile"

He also said that "it was not easy to play in these conditions after the defeat in Venice" and that "we also need to analyse what is not working". That is the line that matters. After a win, the coach talked about what needs fixing rather than what deserves celebrating, and he was right to.

De Bruyne and the expected goals

Allegri explained the role he gave Kevin De Bruyne: "I told De Bruyne he would enjoy himself in front of the defence." He called him "a player who listens". De Bruyne set up McTominay's goal on 41 minutes.

Allegri also turned to the league: "In the league, Napoli are third in the expected goals table. There are no turning-point matches." That is an argument about Serie A, not about this game, and the fanbase is in no mood to hear it right now. Expected goals do not make up for real goals conceded, and Napoli conceded three.

Politano: the legs are there

Matteo Politano struck a different tone. "We talked during the week, we had to decide what kind of season we wanted to have. A lot of people say we are a bit old, but the legs are there," he said. "This was the answer, despite the three goals."

The vice-captain was the first to show it, scoring in the first minute from a Spinazzola assist and setting up McTominay on 75 minutes. But "despite the three goals" is the part of the sentence that weighs most. Napoli gave an answer going forward, not at the back.

Politano is already looking ahead to Roma at the Maradona on Saturday 24 October at 18:00 CEST (17:00 UK, 12:00 ET). "Winning helps you win. We have to do it for ourselves and for the city."

Courage up front, cracks at the back

Alessandro Costacurta said that "Napoli's decisive players are back", admitting he had feared "Bodo a lot for Napoli". Before the match he had criticised Allegri, saying "more courage is needed".

Napoli showed courage going forward and took the lead four times. What they lacked is what the coach himself pointed to: a team that cannot hold firm in its own half, so badly that it was pegged back three times at home. The post-match words stand up precisely because nobody tried to sell the 4-3 as a night without problems. The question is whether, by Saturday and the visit of Roma, the analysis of "what is not working" turns into a fix.