De Bruyne defies Allegri's order to tuck in at Villarreal

The 3-1 defeat at Villarreal on Tuesday 13 October left Napoli with more than a bad result to digest. In the second half of the Champions League tie, as Allegri's side were pulled back after Rrahmani's 8th-minute opener, the bench reportedly sent Kevin De Bruyne a specific instruction: narrow his range of movement, probably to add balance to a midfield already under strain. The Belgian reportedly did not do so, continuing to roam with the freedom he has always been given.

We lack team spirit.

De Bruyne, according to reports, had himself appeared frustrated by his teammates' mistakes during the game, particularly in the spell that saw Mouriño complete the comeback in the 26th minute and Oluwaseyi settle it in the 86th.

The picture goes beyond tactics. There appear to be unresolved issues in the dressing room too, not just on the pitch. It is not a detail to file away quickly: this is a team that has started the Champions League with zero points from two matchdays, following the opening 0-1 defeat to Arsenal and now the 3-1 at Villarreal.

There is a paradox here. De Bruyne is the man who, three days earlier against Frosinone, had decided the match with a penalty in the 29th minute and the clincher in the 94th from a Giovane assist — the most decisive player in Allegri's squad this season so far. He is also the player whose future the club have been working on for weeks: De Laurentiis is reportedly considering activating the option to extend his contract to 2028, with bonuses tied to appearances and goals to push it to 2029, while Allegri himself is said to have pushed to keep him until the end of his own mandate. A player this central to the club's plans, at least in word, yet one the bench cannot bring back into a tactical framework once a match gets complicated, says something about a management struggling to hold the pitch and the dressing room together.

It is not an isolated episode in Napoli's week. The handling of the balance of power in midfield is the same issue that has dominated the McTominay situation for days, with his renewal stalled since 1 October and criticism directed at the club over how it has been handled. Napoli reach Saturday with more than one internal front to repair, not only results to put right.

Napoli are back in action on Saturday 17 October at 15:00 CET (14:00 UK, 09:00 ET) at the Penzo against Venezia, bottom of the table and recently parted with Stroppa. It will be Allegri's first chance to show, with actions rather than words, that the group still responds to his instructions — starting with the ones given from the bench.