Napoli injury crisis pushes Allegri toward Badiashile at left-back

Napoli go into the Frosinone game with both full-back slots to rethink, and the fix Massimiliano Allegri is considering has a name: Benoît Badiashile, shifted out to left-back.

The left is messier. Mathías Olivera came back from international duty with Uruguay in India with a groin strain — mild, but enough to put him in doubt for Saturday — while Leonardo Spinazzola is still unavailable. That has pushed Allegri toward adapting Badiashile, a left-footed centre-back, into a back four: a solution he is treating as exceptional, built for this specific emergency.

The Frenchman, on loan from Chelsea, has played just 10 minutes so far this season. An almost non-existent run of minutes that could, paradoxically, now turn into a debut out of position before he has had one as a recognised centre-back.

The alternative is a back three, with the wide areas covered by midfielders or wide forwards such as Matteo Politano or Antonio Vergara, and with Luca Marianucci back fit to widen the options at the back. At this stage, it looks like the option Allegri sees as more solid.

During the long international break there was also talk of a system change to accommodate Favasuli's explosiveness. His injury has shelved that plan, leaving the head coach to settle the flanks question in time for Saturday.

The call is Allegri's, and it is coming soon. Napoli host Frosinone at the Maradona on Saturday 10 October at 20:45 CET, on the back of two positive results in a row but still ninth in the table, seven points off the top.