Alvino defends Allegri, tells critics to drop the know-it-all act

Carlo Alvino used his TeleClub Italia slot to challenge the mood around Napoli after a start to the season that has left the club 9th with 7 points from 5 games.

Alvino listed the criticisms doing the rounds: "'He should have played two strikers', 'the no-possession phase is outdated', 'it's anti-football' and so on." He then asked: "Do we really think a professional who has lived and breathed football twenty-four hours a day for forty years knows less than someone watching the game with a beer in hand, sprawled on the sofa?" He closed by calling for "a bit of realism and respect for everyone's CV and professional history."

His comments come as protests in Naples have also spread to Aurelio De Laurentiis, with banners appearing in recent nights, and as Allegri himself considers switching to a 3-4-2-1 for the return from the international break against Frosinone on 10 October. Allegri's CV is not in question; Napoli's ninth place and 7 points from 5 games — the club's worst start in ten years — is, and it is that record keeping the fanbase on edge.