Papers rally round Allegri as Napoli fades from the front page

Corriere dello Sport and Sky Sport back the head coach and point to Hojlund's revival ahead of Fiorentina-Napoli on Sunday 20 September. Il Mattino fears a trap at the Franchi, while La Gazzetta dello Sport leads with Juventus instead.

by Gennaro SanninoSaturday 19 September, 08:39 CET· yesterday

Allegri, esonero Juve: squadra a Montero. Il comunicato ufficiale e tutte le reazioni — Foto: corrieredellosport.it

Corriere dello Sport's front page on Saturday 19 September ties the eve of Fiorentina-Napoli to one relationship: coach and striker. Its headline, translated, reads "Napoli-Hojlund, the Allegri cure" — the Rome paper frames the game around Allegri's handling of the Danish forward, a quiet figure so far in an attack that has struggled to make an impact.

Sky Sport takes the same line. Journalist Massimo Ugolini writes that Allegri "is the best choice" and "deserves trust", noting that criticism of the coach has not gone away despite the win over Bologna, but arguing that his position is not in question.

Il Mattino, the paper closest to the fanbase, focuses instead on the away day: around 300 Napoli supporters are travelling to Florence. It closes with a line that carries more weight than any tactical breakdown.

In the hope that there is no trap.

It is a warning, not an analysis — the sense that the Franchi hides dangers that Fiorentina's league position does not show.

La Gazzetta dello Sport, oddly, does not lead on Napoli at all on Saturday 19 September. Its front page goes on Juventus and Amorim instead: "New goals for Juventus, and Amorim is untouchable." It is a small detail that says something about how much media weight Allegri's side currently carries, pushed off the front of Italy's best-selling sports paper on the eve of a tricky away game.

On the Napoli side, then, Corriere and Sky converge on shielding Allegri and highlighting Hojlund's recovery. Il Mattino stays more cautious, eyeing the game warily. The Gazzetta, simply, looks elsewhere.

Our take

The show of support for Allegri from Corriere and Sky reads more like a pre-emptive defence than analysis — neither paper engages with the real issues: a defence that has already conceded 5 goals in 4 matchdays, and a squad that remains the oldest in Serie A.

Il Mattino reads the Florence risk better, but the talk of a "trap" needs backing from the numbers behind Vanoli's rebuilt Fiorentina, not just instinct from the fanbase.

And the fact that Saturday's Gazzetta front page does not lead on Napoli is the most honest snapshot of where this team sits in the eyes of the national press after four matchdays: not in crisis, but not the centre of attention either.