De Laurentiis appeals to the squad's professionalism before

De Laurentiis appeals to the squad's professionalism before Lazio

After seven defeats in 14 games, the president spoke briefly to the players at Castel Volturno and sent them on a pre-match retreat. Words will not be enough this time. The answer has to come on the pitch.

by Rosaria CimminoSaturday 7 November, 13:19 CET· 2 hours ago

Aurelio De Laurentiis — Foto: Presidenza della Repubblica · Attribution

Aurelio De Laurentiis kept it short. On Friday at Castel Volturno, the training ground, the president spent an hour with Massimiliano Allegri and Giovanni Manna. He then went to greet the players before training.

He appealed to their sense of responsibility and to the professionalism he credits this group with for what it has achieved over the years. There was no inquest and there were no threats. He reminded the squad who they had been, two days before a game he himself regards as a turning point.

For now, the real talking has been among the players. At 19:00 on Friday 6 November they checked into the Gli Dei hotel in Pozzuoli for a ritiro, a retreat that keeps the squad together before a match. They stay there until Sunday 8 November, when Lazio come to the Maradona at 12:30 CET (11:30 UK, 06:30 ET). The retreat was De Laurentiis's decision. After the Venezia game Manna had talked him out of one. This time he did not.

One number sums up the season: seven defeats in 14 competitive matches. Four came in the league and three in the Champions League, against Arsenal, Villarreal and Porto. Napoli are eighth in Serie A with 14 points after 10 rounds. That leaves them nine points off fourth place, the target Allegri set when he signed, and 14 off the top. They come into Sunday's game off a 2-0 defeat at the Allianz Stadium and a 4-1 loss at the Dragão. In Porto, Napoli were level at 1-1 at half-time through McTominay, then conceded three from the 71st minute.

Professionalism is not the answer

Appealing to the professionalism of a group that has won two Serie A titles in three seasons makes sense, but it explains little. What went missing in Turin and in Porto was not effort in the abstract. The team held on for an hour and then ran out of answers. A word before training does not fix that.

In one week the president has had a face-to-face meeting with the squad after Juventus, phoned the coach, ordered the retreat, spent an hour with the coach and the sporting director, and finally spoken to the players. That is a lot of intervention from the top. So far, nobody has explained what will change on the pitch.

There is also a question that does not appear to have been asked at Castel Volturno: who built this squad? Allegri has nine players unavailable for Sunday: Buongiorno, Badiashile, Favasuli, Di Lorenzo, Spinazzola, Olivera, Lobotka, Neres and Alisson Santos. Marianucci is also suspended. The captain has an injury to the adductor longus in his left thigh, and Napoli face the league leaders without a recognised full-back. You can ask the players to take responsibility. The way the squad was put together is not their responsibility.

Gattuso's Lazio arrive top of the table with 28 points from nine wins and a draw, having scored 24 and conceded 8. Zaccagni will miss the game, but that does not change the picture much. Nobody needs the team to prove its worth in words. It should be judged on what happens after the 70th minute, the point where it fell apart in Turin and in Porto.

After Lazio there is no let-up. Torino follow on 21 November, then a trip to the Etihad to face Manchester City on the 24th. The president has made his appeal. At 12:30 on Sunday we will find out whether the squad was listening.