Napoli's passing falls apart without De Bruyne, McTominay and Lobotka

Napoli drew 1-1 with Lazio on Sunday 8 November and sit tenth on 15 points after 11 matches. The result alone does not explain the bigger issue: Napoli cannot pass accurately enough.

Allegri touched on it after the match, though he did not go far. Asked about his players' commitment, he told the press conference: "They can make technical mistakes, but that's a different area."

"They can make technical mistakes, but that's a different area."

It sounds like "they're doing what they can". But nobody asked for miracles. The ask is simpler: keep the ball.

Three players carrying a team

The takeaway is simple. When the ball does not go through De Bruyne, McTominay or Lobotka, Napoli's passing moves like city traffic. And Lobotka is missing, out for around six weeks.

Three players cannot carry the whole side, and with Lobotka out there are only two.

To be fair, nerves cause mistakes at every level, and they showed against Lazio. Vergara misplaced some genuinely simple passes.

Then there was the chance that came from a long ball by Milinković-Savić. De Bruyne brought it down with a magnificent first touch. He had time to send Mandas to ground, then choose between squaring for the onrushing Lang or scoring himself. Instead he shot first time, and the Lazio goalkeeper saved. Right now, even the best players are getting their timing wrong.

Whose responsibility?

This raises an awkward question. If technique is the limit, who is responsible? The coach answers for his selections. Whoever built the squad answers for the squad. The January transfer window opens on 2 January, which is too late for the next few matches.

Next up is Napoli v Torino at the Maradona on Saturday 21 November, kick-off 20:45 CET (19:45 UK, 14:45 ET). Napoli are 9 points behind fourth-placed Milan, and the club's stated target is fourth place.

Before Napoli can win again, they need to learn to string two passes together without waiting for someone else to do it.