Out-of-work coaches pitch for Napoli job as De Laurentiis stands by Allegri

Two out-of-work coaches have already applied for Massimiliano Allegri's job. After the 4-1 defeat at the Dragão, they offered themselves to Napoli as his replacement.

Unsolicited applications do not get a coach sacked, but they show how the job looks from outside: open. There are good reasons for that. Allegri arrived on a three-year deal worth €6m a season net, running to 30 June 2029, with no release clauses. He set himself the target of fourth place.

After ten rounds Napoli are eighth on 14 points, nine off fourth and with half Lazio's total. In the Champions League they have 3 points from four games. Appointing Allegri was the president's decision, and keeping him is one too. That contract makes any change of heart very expensive.

The dressing room comes first

The table is not even the most urgent problem. Politano, the vice-captain, has spoken of a split between Italian and foreign players. Højlund and McTominay have also said strong things. Then in Porto, Lucca and De Bruyne argued on the pitch while the home side kept playing.

The club's answer is a ritiro, the Italian practice of confining the squad to a hotel before a match. From 19:00 on Friday 6 November the players will stay at the Gli Dei hotel in Pozzuoli until the Lazio game. De Laurentiis made the call.

We doubt two nights in a hotel will put a dressing room split in two back together. The ritiro is the tool a club reaches for when it has no other, and this team's problems show up on the pitch.

In Turin the game fell apart between the 70th and 87th minutes. In Porto, Napoli were level 1-1 at half-time through McTominay, then conceded three from the 71st minute onwards. Holding a team together in the last half-hour is the coach's job, and Allegri must answer for it. The squad he had to send out in Porto without a recognised full-back, however, was built by sporting director Giovanni Manna.

A depleted side against the leaders

Against Lazio, Allegri returns to the touchline in the league after the suspension that kept him out at the Allianz Stadium. He will have a decimated squad. Buongiorno, Badiashile, Favasuli, Di Lorenzo, Spinazzola, Olivera, Lobotka, Neres and Alisson Santos are all out. De Bruyne has a sprained ankle and Marianucci is suspended. Milinković-Savić is a doubt.

Lazio arrive top of the table on 28 points, without their captain Zaccagni.

The question we are asking is simple. Does De Laurentiis keep Allegri because he believes in him, or because the contract and the fixture list leave him no alternative? An answer will come soon.

For us, Napoli-Lazio is a must-win game for the coach as much as the team. Kick-off is at 12:30 CET (11:30 UK, 06:30 ET) on Sunday 8 November at the Maradona, and those who have applied for the job will be watching.