Papers turn to Roma as Napoli's 4-3 win over Bodø/Glimt settles little

Wednesday's papers spend little time on Tuesday night's match. They are already looking at Saturday's.

Three changes and a question mark

Corriere dello Sport leads on exactly that. Its headline has Allegri "heading for three changes" against Roma: Lobotka back as the deep-lying playmaker, with Badiashile and Olivera also coming in. The paper adds that the real doubt is still the system, and where De Bruyne plays.

That fits with what the same paper wrote before the Bodø game, under the headline "Max changes". It also fits Sky Sport's team news, which had Lobotka and Gilmour left out and De Bruyne moved to a different role. Two outlets, one thread: Allegri is still looking for his best set-up. Eight rounds into the season, that is not a small thing.

Corriere dello Sport also reports that Vergara is set to make the squad for Roma after his right soleus injury. The tone differs elsewhere, though. La Gazzetta dello Sport, cited in the same report, is more cautious and says he is unlikely to play. Allegri was cautious too when he spoke to Sky Sport. He called it "a bit difficult" and pointed out that the player has not yet trained with the group. Making the squad and getting minutes are different things, and for now the facts back the Gazzetta.

McTominay and Manna

Sky Sport gives most of its space to McTominay, man of the match after scoring twice. The midfielder said he feels "really close to my best condition" and called De Bruyne "incredible", while admitting there are mistakes to look at.

The bigger story on Sky Sport came from Manna before kick-off. "Allegri is not in question," said the sporting director, but he added that the squad needs to get younger. This is the first time during a season that he has gone on record about a structural weakness in a group he built himself.

"Allegri is not in question"

Corriere dello Sport also has news away from the pitch. Napoli and the Province of Trento are reported to be close to a three-year agreement for the pre-season training camp at Dimaro Folgarida, after Atalanta had approached the same resort. All we have is the paper's headline and summary, so we leave it there.

Our view

The papers are right to look straight at Roma. A hard-fought win over Bodø does not wipe out ninth place and three defeats in seven league games. What the coverage misses is how much Manna's words weigh. Saying the squad needs to get younger in October, with the window shut for 50 days and more than €300m spent across five windows, is an admission about the man who built the squad, not just the man who coaches it. On the three goals conceded to a Norwegian side, Allegri got it right: "we are fragile". Against the team in third on Saturday, that fragility will not just cause a scare. It will cost points.