De Bruyne finds his rhythm and the Maradona's trust against Bologna

De Bruyne missed a simple close-range shot with his right foot in the first half against Bologna, set up by Spinazzola, and the Maradona groaned in disappointment. Minutes later he shouted at himself in midfield after a poor first touch. This time the crowd applauded him, encouraging rather than turning on him.

He produced an old-fashioned burst that took two Bologna players to stop, throwing themselves at him, and then set up Favasuli, who reached the byline and squared for Lobotka to score in the 66th minute — the goal that decided the game. De Bruyne went off only with cramp, after also putting in defensive work.

The debate did not start on Monday 14 September. Ahead of the match, press coverage had been split over the so-called De Bruyne factor — his influence and his best position on the pitch. Allegri, speaking to Sky Sport after the game, closed it down: "He's so good at finding space and knowing when he needs to drop deep that for us it's only an advantage. Discussing it makes no sense, the way he controls and passes the ball you can see he's different, it's a pleasure just to watch him play."

The coach also added a less comfortable point: "Given his age he needs to be managed, he's still growing into it and in that position he'll need to do better, as he has done in his career." It was praise, but also an admission: a midfielder of that age, asked to cover 11 km and influence both build-up and defensive phases, is a resource to be rationed match by match, not a guaranteed starter every week.

This performance came inside a hard-fought 1-0 win that leaves Napoli tenth with 6 points from 4 games. De Bruyne may have won back a crowd that had turned on him for one bad touch barely an hour earlier, but the team still needs that level from the first minute, not only once four other outfield changes have been made. The next test comes on Sunday 20 September at 12:30 CET, away to Fiorentina.