De Laurentiis spends an hour with Allegri before Frosinone

On the morning of Monday 5 October, Aurelio De Laurentiis arrived at Castel Volturno, Napoli's training ground, and spent about an hour behind closed doors with Massimiliano Allegri.

The two men went through the record from the opening six matches of the season, in Serie A and the Champions League: two wins, one draw, three defeats. That leaves Napoli ninth with seven points after five league matchdays — the club's worst start in ten years, according to Opta. It falls short of the mandate the club gave Allegri when it appointed him in early July: a stable fourth place and progress in the Champions League.

A president under pressure

The meeting comes with De Laurentiis already under scrutiny for other reasons. Between 25 and 27 September, after the draw in Florence, banners against him appeared at Castel Volturno and at the San Paolo, Napoli's stadium. One of them called him "senile".

A contested president showing up in person to see his head coach, after a transfer window whose signings have yet to prove themselves, can be read two ways: direct support for the project, or silent pressure to change things immediately. The club has not settled the question, and it is not for us to settle it in the club's place.

Frosinone at the Maradona

Saturday brings Frosinone to the Maradona at 20:45 CET. Frosinone beat Como in their last match, which makes this one Napoli cannot afford to drop at home.

Allegri is still working on his system. The 4-3-3 used in the test match against Avellino remains under discussion, with a 3-4-2-1 also under consideration. He is waiting to see who returns from a group carrying six absences, though none of the six leaves the squad as depleted as it was under the previous management.

Among the expected returnees is Scott McTominay, who will undergo sporting fitness tests in the coming days following a cardiac ablation in September. If the results are clear, the Scot can return to training with the group and hope for a recall as soon as the Frosinone game. Allegri, who has spent weeks working with a squad thinned out by international duty and injuries, cannot wait to have his best players available again — Monday's face-to-face suggests the patience at Castel Volturno is already running short.