Villarreal beat Napoli 3-1 as Allegri's rotations fall short

Napoli's Champions League form doesn't move the Serie A table, and that needs saying plainly: the 3-1 defeat in Villarreal is a lost matchday in a separate competition, with no points and no positions to chase at the weekend. But a different context doesn't make the result easier to judge. A team that goes ahead and then loses, in Europe, still says something about how the side holds up — not about what it costs in the league.

In the league phase of the Champions League, each round stands alone — there's no Serie A-style table to fall back on. There's no place to defend, only a match to play better next time out in Europe. Napoli now have to carry this defeat without excuses and wait for the next European fixture to answer on the pitch, not in words.

The league, meanwhile, won't wait. Venezia host Napoli at the Penzo on Saturday 17 October, and it comes at the worst time to afford another slip. Anguissa, Olivera and Alisson returned to training from Wednesday 14 October: Allegri will have more options for a team that needs answers these days, not alibis.