De Laurentiis considers training camp lockdown if Napoli fail to beat Bodø/Glimt

Napoli host Bodø/Glimt at the Maradona on Tuesday 20 October, kick-off 21:00 CET (20:00 UK, 15:00 ET). Arena Napoli understands that Aurelio De Laurentiis is leaning towards a punitive retreat for the squad, from Thursday at the earliest, if the win does not come against the Norwegians.

The idea of a retreat is not new. After Villarreal, a report circulated that the group would be locked away at Castel Volturno (the training ground) until the Bodø/Glimt game. Carlo Alvino denied it on X. That version covered the time before the match. This one moves the sanction to after it and ties it to the result: no win, retreat.

What it would really change

Napoli are ninth with 10 points after seven matches. They arrive on the back of Saturday's 1-0 defeat at Venezia on 17 October, decided by an Adams goal in the 49th minute. Napoli had 29 shots, and Stankovic also saved a De Bruyne penalty in the 68th minute. On closer inspection, the problem was not effort but finishing.

A retreat answers a question of attitude. We wonder whether that is the question. We also wonder what it says about a struggling team that the response is to take away its routine rather than fix what is not working on the pitch.

The fanbase wants answers, and the talk of a retreat seems to come from there. After Venezia, head coach Allegri said: "We get out of this moment with me." If the president is indeed leaning this way, the message would be a double one: public trust in the coach, but a squad under scrutiny if results do not change.

Thursday also means the week of Napoli-Roma on Saturday 24 October, again at the Maradona. Locking the group away in those days would mean heading into a big match after days of tension rather than calm. First, though, comes Bodø/Glimt. Nobody is talking about anything else, and we cannot pretend otherwise.