Sabatini defends Napoli penalty, reveals Allegri's hidden move

Sandro Sabatini has shut down the row over the penalty Napoli were awarded against Frosinone, rejecting claims on social media that it was too soft a call.

"The player is in front, there's contact, the referee made the decision and VAR can't intervene."

Sabatini added that anyone looking to his verdict for backing in the separate debate over a penalty not given by referee Orsato was looking in the wrong place.

He also defended the value of the win itself, pointing out that Frosinone had even beaten Como before the international break and should not be dismissed as a soft touch.

A tactical note on Allegri

The most interesting part of Sabatini's video concerned tactics. He said it went almost unnoticed that Massimiliano Allegri had moved De Bruyne into a deeper playmaking role alongside Lobotka.

The switch, in Sabatini's reading, produced "a good game", with Napoli content to manage the second half without any real danger. The numbers back it up: Frosinone had just one shot on target and forced one save from Milinković-Savić, against 18 total shots and 7 on target from Napoli.

The match itself had been decided inside half an hour: Höjlund hit the bar in the 3rd minute, De Bruyne converted the penalty in the 29th, and Lang made it 2-0 in the 32nd. Neres, who had been in contention beforehand, was left out of the starting XI.

Where Napoli stand in the league

"Ten points are still not many, but I think the recovery path towards a top-four finish has begun."

That optimism needs weighing against the table: Napoli are eighth on 10 points after six rounds — three wins, one draw, two defeats, 10 goals scored and 6 conceded — six points behind joint leaders Inter and Lazio, who sit level on 16. Three good results in a row are a signal, not a verdict: after a September of criticism over Napoli's football and over Allegri's management, one strong week doesn't settle a debate that has run for weeks among supporters.

Sabatini closed with a note on individuals: "Lang and Neres found again, like we hadn't seen in a while." It's an outside read on a forward line the head coach keeps rotating, with Lucca still waiting for his first goal of the season and Neres still waiting for a start from the first minute.

The real test comes on Tuesday 13 October at 21:00 CET (20:00 UK, 15:00 ET), when Napoli travel to Villarreal looking to put right their opening-day Champions League defeat to Arsenal. That's when it will become clear whether the De Bruyne-Lobotka pairing is an idea worth repeating or just one episode from a favourable night.