Allegri: De Bruyne row was just a 'misunderstanding' as Hojlund tipped for Venezia bench
Allegri: De Bruyne row was just a 'misunderstanding' as Hojlund tipped for Venezia bench
Napoli coach Massimiliano Allegri has played down a touchline bust-up with Kevin De Bruyne, insisting the pair's disagreement during Tuesday's Champions League defeat to Villarreal was nothing more than a "misunderstanding" — while hinting that Rasmus Hojlund could be spared a starting berth against Venezia.
The Partenopei return to Serie A action tomorrow with a trip to bottom side Venezia, just days after a 3-1 loss at Villarreal that left them winless in both of their Champions League group games. Domestically, Allegri's side sit on 10 points from six matches.
Hojlund in line for a rest
Hojlund, the Denmark international who joined from Manchester United, has started every Napoli match so far this season. But with the fixture pile-up, Allegri suggested the striker may begin on the bench.
"We'll train today, then I'll decide whether Lucca or Hojlund will play," the Napoli boss said at a press conference via TuttoNapoli. "Hojlund has played a lot of matches and needs some rest, or perhaps to come off the bench. Lucca also did well when he came on in Spain. He had a couple of promising situations; he took a shot in one of them but it was blocked, and his movement was good."
The comments come after Allegri publicly criticised Hojlund's approach earlier in the campaign, branding the forward "pig-headed" following a 1-1 draw at Fiorentina on 21 September.
De Bruyne disagreement 'ended there'
Allegri and De Bruyne were seen arguing during the 3-1 loss to Villarreal, with the Belgian appearing unhappy at being deployed as a deep-lying playmaker. Asked whether it was a fresh concern, the coach was adamant.
"No, absolutely not. It was a misunderstanding during a particularly difficult moment in the match because we went from leading 1–0 to trailing 2–1, but it ended there," he said. "These things happen and will happen again. Of course, it's better if we understand each other immediately. Either I speak English, or he speaks Italian."
The flashpoint contrasts with Allegri's recent insistence that De Bruyne is "even better" operating in a deeper midfield role — a position the coach has been trying to sell to his star man, who is reportedly less keen on the idea.
Nicola's Venezia debut awaits
Tomorrow's match will mark Davide Nicola's debut as Venezia coach after he replaced Giovanni Stroppa earlier this week following six consecutive league defeats. Allegri paid his respect to the new boss.
"Nicola is a coach who has done well. He achieved an unthinkable escape from relegation at Crotone, among other accomplishments," Allegri said. "He is an excellent coach and is managing a team with no points in the table, but they have important qualities because they create a lot of chances. I watched their match in Bergamo and looked at the data, they did well."
'I'm not concerned'
Napoli have been inconsistent, having already dropped points from a winning position on three occasions this term. Allegri refused to panic.
"I'm not concerned; we need to find solutions to the problems," he insisted. "We need to manage the ball better at certain points in the match and then deal better with unexpected incidents, such as Politano's misplaced pass, which can happen. When a team is strong, even during difficult moments, and there are opponents to consider too, your world cannot fall apart. Once that moment has passed, we still have plenty of time to improve."
On the injury front, Allegri confirmed Anguissa, Olivera and Alisson will be available, while David Neres has suffered another setback. "Vergara and Favasuli are progressing well. They are not close to returning yet, but they are making progress. We also have McTominay and others who need to regain fitness by playing, because a match is completely different."
"It doesn't mean everything is a disaster, just as everything isn't perfect when you win," Allegri added of the dropped points. "That's not how it works. I understand your perspective and that the result shapes opinion, but that brings us back to the usual discussion: if the result determines the opinion, then the result is the most important thing, whether you have played better or worse. But we are still at the beginning."