Napoli hit Monza with 3 second-half goals, but the defence still leaks

Fans' main complaint about Allegri is a specific one: Napoli score first and then stop playing. The first half at Monza backed that up.

The lead lasted 33 minutes, and Napoli gave it away just before half-time. That has happened too often, and Allegri's critics have kept count.

A different team after the break

The second half showed a different side, and that deserves credit. Politano restored the lead early on, then set up Marín for 3-1 on 62 minutes.

The key decision came a minute later. With the game won, Allegri did not shut up shop. He sent on De Bruyne and Vergara. Four minutes after that, De Bruyne scored from Lang's assist.

The three second-half goals came in 19 minutes, between the 48th and the 67th. People have been asking for courage, and this time they saw it, at exactly the point where Napoli usually drop deep.

The defence is still a question

That does not settle the question of the defence. Monza had 35% of the ball and still had 12 shots, five of them on target. Napoli's goalkeeper had to make four saves, one more than his opposite number.

Napoli have conceded 11 goals in nine league games. They let in six in the two matches before this one: the 4-3 against Bodo Glimt and the 3-3 against Roma. Monza scored only once, but the chances Napoli allowed don't suggest the problem is fixed. Badiashile and Spinazzola are both out, which hurts, but that doesn't explain all of it.

Where the table stands

The table should be read for what it says, with no projections that mean nothing in October. Napoli are sixth on 14 points, level with Juventus. Milan are four points ahead, Roma seven, and Lazio and Inter 11.

That makes three games without defeat. The gap to the top still matters most to a fanbase that, after two league titles in three seasons, sees first place as where the club belongs.

Juventus next

Next is Juventus at the Allianz Stadium on Sunday 1 November, kick-off 20:45 CET (19:45 UK, 14:45 ET). Juventus are one of the teams this season will be measured against, and Neres will miss the game.

The task is simple. The way Napoli played in the second half at Monza has to become the norm, not a one-off. If Turin sees the team that scores and then sits back, the Allegri debate will pick up where it left off. If it sees the second-half side, with a defence that doesn't allow 12 shots, then the Monza win will have meant something.