Napoli have thrown away 8 points from winning positions

The problem is not only what Napoli fail to score, as at Venezia. It is what they cannot hold. Against Inter they led 2-0 and lost 3-2. At Villarreal, Rrahmani scored in the 8th minute, then the game turned between the 23rd and 26th: Mikautadze equalised after a back-pass from Politano, and Mouriño made it 2-1. In Florence it finished 1-1. Put together, those three games are eight points dropped with the match in hand.

Venezia added the rest

Napoli had 29 shots and won 12 corners to Venezia's none. They conceded through Adams in the 49th minute, and also missed the penalty that could have levelled the game: De Bruyne was saved by Stankovic in the 68th. It is Napoli's fifth defeat in nine official matches. In all competitions, that has not happened since 2001-02, under De Canio in Serie B. It is also the worst start of the De Laurentiis era.

The window that never happened

The uncomfortable question is for the board. Over the summer the club stood still, leaving liquidity reserves of close to €200m untouched, and the transfer window closed on 1 September with no targeted signings. The only exceptions were Badiashile and Favasuli. Our reading is that, with absences and setbacks in the treatment room, the squad is now showing its limits and nobody planned credible alternatives. Allegri answers for the decisions on the pitch, but whoever chose not to strengthen the team answers for the team.

As for the coach, there are no reported contacts with other managers. The board confirms it, and Palladino was never an option. But a confirmation does not win points. After Venezia, Allegri promised: "We get out of this moment with me". Now he has to show it.

Bodø/Glimt visit the Maradona on Tuesday 20 October at 21:00 CET (20:00 UK, 15:00 ET), with Napoli still without a point in the Champions League after Arsenal and Villarreal. Roma arrive on Saturday 24 October. They are 7 points ahead of Napoli in Serie A, while leaders Inter are 9 clear. Napoli are ninth with 10 points after seven games. Two matches to start winning again, and to show that this team can also defend a lead when it has one.