Napoli lose 2-0 at Juventus with one shot on target

Napoli managed one shot on target in Turin, against four for Juventus. The shots were 7 to 18 and the corners 4 to 13. Napoli had 51% of the possession to Juventus's 49% and did nothing with it. Keeping the ball without creating danger is not dominance. It is going round in circles.

Marianucci was sent off in the 75th minute for a second yellow card, after his first in the 38th. But Napoli had been behind for five minutes by then. Juventus took the lead at 11 against 11, so the red card cannot be the excuse for the night. It made a comeback harder, though there was no sign of one on the pitch.

Still, a defender booked in the 38th minute and sent off midway through the second half left the team with 10 men just when it needed to take risks.

The coaching decisions offer little room for argument. There were five substitutions: two at half-time (Rrahmani and Gilmour), one in the 61st minute (Vergara) and two in the 79th (Beukema and Giovane). None changed the game.

Allegri was suspended and not on the bench. He will be back for the Lazio game, but the selection and the management were still his. The fanbase has criticised him for days over repetitive press conferences and a fragile defence. This night gave them more to point at, and a stock phrase will not be an adequate answer.

The table leaves no room for comfort. Napoli are eighth on 14 points: 3 behind seventh-placed Juventus, 6 behind sixth-placed Frosinone and 14 behind leaders Lazio. This squad was built to compete near the top, not to chase sixth place.

Porto come next in the Champions League on Wednesday 4 November at 21:00 CET (20:00 UK, 15:00 ET). It is a separate competition. It cannot erase Turin, and it should not be treated as a chance to make up for it.

Napoli need to show two things there: a side that builds danger without waiting for the opponent's mistake, and a defence that is not caught exposed late on. They have to show it on the pitch, not in words.