Allegri has questions to answer after 4-1 defeat in Porto

Whatever is said about the Champions League loss will have to stand next to the match sheet, and the match sheet leaves little room for a generous reading.

by Gennaro SanninoThursday 5 November, 01:59 CET· 7 hours ago

Porto-Napoli Porto-Napoli, le domande a cui Allegri dovrà rispondere — Grafica Arena Napoli

Start with the facts, because every explanation of this match will have to be checked against them. Allegri was back on the bench in Porto after his suspension and watched his side concede four goals in the Champions League. Napoli were only really in the game for as long as it took McTominay to cancel out Bednarek's goal, in the 43rd minute.

We have no quotes to report, and we will not invent any. What we can do is set out which answers are needed, and which explanations the pitch has already ruled out.

The first half

The first question is about attitude. Napoli picked up four yellow cards in the first 36 minutes: Vergara in the 1st, Anguissa in the 21st, Rrahmani in the 35th and McTominay in the 36th.

A side that plays the first half with half its midfield and a centre-back already booked is a side chasing the game, not controlling it. If anyone claims after the match that the first half was even, the match sheet says otherwise. The equaliser came. Control of the game did not.

The second half

The second question is about what happened after the break, and there is no room here to blame individual incidents. Porto hit the woodwork through Bednarek in the 56th minute and Veiga in the 63rd before they went ahead. Those were two warnings ignored, not bad luck.

The changes came in the 78th minute, with Lang and Giovane on for Anguissa and Vergara, and in the 82nd, with Lucca on for Politano, by which point Napoli were already behind. Kiwior scored two minutes after the first change. Then came Marín's sending-off and Aghehowa's penalty.

A coach is accountable for the timing of his decisions. In Porto, the timing was that of someone chasing the problem rather than getting ahead of it.

What the fans are waiting for

This is the point on which the fanbase is waiting for Allegri, after the 2-0 in Torino and now this 4-1. A line about the squad responding will not do. He needs to say what went wrong and what will change.

The next chance to see it is Sunday 8 November at 12:30 CET (11:30 UK, 06:30 ET), against Lazio at the Diego Armando Maradona. In Europe, where supporters still feel the club is being judged, a night like Porto counts for more than anything said in front of the microphones.