Allegri weighs moving Di Lorenzo into a back three for Frosinone

Six days out from Napoli's game against Frosinone on Saturday 10 October, Massimiliano Allegri is weighing a change of formation that would affect his captain directly. The option on the table is a 3-4-2-1, with Giovanni Di Lorenzo moving from right-back into the centre of a three-man defence.

The injury list is pushing Allegri toward the plan too. Costantino Favasuli, back at Napoli after an Under-21 call-up, has a confirmed muscle strain that narrows the options at right-back. With Favasuli out and Di Lorenzo shifted inside, the flank would be left exposed unless Politano adapts to cover it.

Napoli reach this fork having stuck with the 4-3-3 in a training match against Avellino at Castel Volturno, the club's training ground, when Allegri shelved a week of back-three speculation by using David Neres as a central midfielder. The 3-4-2-1 remains live, though, with Giovane pencilled in behind Rasmus Højlund as the attacking midfielder.

Whatever system Allegri picks, Di Lorenzo's armband is not up for debate. The captaincy stands regardless of formation or his commitments with the national team. What would change is his job on the pitch, not his standing in the side.

One more issue needs resolving before Saturday: Scott McTominay has a fitness assessment on Tuesday 6 October that will determine whether the midfielder is available for Frosinone following heart surgery on 8 September. Between a formation still in flux and a midfielder yet to be cleared, the Frosinone line-up remains a work in progress until the last training session before kick-off.