De Laurentiis backs Allegri and Manna but demands a response against Lazio

Aurelio De Laurentiis spent an hour behind closed doors with Massimiliano Allegri and Giovanni Manna at Castel Volturno (the club's training ground) on the morning of Friday 6 November. He then said a quick hello to the players before training.

The talks were described as constructive. They went through every problem that is stopping the side from finding consistency in the league and in the Champions League. Nobody needed a meeting to list them.

Napoli have lost two in a row, 2-0 at the Allianz Stadium and 4-1 at the Dragão. They are eighth in the table with 14 points from 10 games. That leaves them 9 points off fourth place, the target Allegri set, and 14 behind Lazio. In Europe they have 3 points from 4 games.

The squad question

The squad was also on the table, and it probably needed strengthening in the summer. That sounds obvious, but it was the most delicate point of the meeting. The sporting director builds the squad, and now the same sporting director is being asked to fix it mid-season.

The window reopens on 2 January and closes on 2 February at 20:00 CET. Varela is one name, with Monza asking around €20m. Gatti and Gavi are others. For now these are talks and nothing more. Meanwhile, Lucca is almost certain to leave in January. He has yet to score this season, and he argued with De Bruyne in Porto.

Backing with a deadline

De Laurentiis backing Allegri and Manna is not new. He had already said so, while asking for improvement. What is new is how he said it this time. Both men have his support, but reacting against Lazio will be essential. It is backing with a deadline, and the deadline is Sunday. The squad has been in a pre-match retreat at the Gli Dei hotel in Pozzuoli since Friday evening and will leave only for the game.

Supporters are asking a question nobody at Castel Volturno seems to have asked out loud. If the problem is a squad that should have been strengthened in the summer, why should only the man on the bench pay for it? And if the problem is also on the pitch, January signings explain nothing. In Porto, Napoli held firm for a half, then conceded three goals from the 71st minute and made their first substitution in the 78th. Those failings have nothing to do with the transfer window.

Allegri gets nobody back for Lazio. Buongiorno, Badiashile, Favasuli, Di Lorenzo, Spinazzola, Olivera, Lobotka, Neres and Alisson Santos are all out, and Marianucci is suspended. Gattuso's Lazio arrive unbeaten, with nine wins and a draw, but without their captain Zaccagni.

De Laurentiis took an hour to tell Allegri and Manna what he expects. On Sunday 8 November we will find out what his backing is really worth.