Allegri: "Knowing how to defend has become almost a disgrace". 3 goals from 4 shots

By the Data Desk · Published 14 OCT 05:50

Villarreal needed four shots on target to score three times against Napoli on Tuesday night. Asked live on Sky Italia by Fabio Capello whether Italian teams have forgotten how to defend, Massimiliano Allegri went further than the question: "È diventata quasi una vergogna saper difendere" (knowing how to defend has become almost a disgrace).

• Villarreal 3-1 Napoli: Rrahmani put Napoli ahead in the 8th minute, then Mikautadze (23') and Mouriño (26') scored three minutes apart and Oluwaseyi added the third late (ESPN).
• Allegri said he asked Kevin De Bruyne to move between the two central midfielders "e non ci siamo capiti" (and we did not understand each other).
• Napoli have 0 points from two Champions League games, after a 1-0 defeat by Arsenal in September.

The question came from Capello, the former England and Real Madrid coach who now works as a pundit for Sky Italia. "In Italia si segna tanto, stasera Inter e Napoli hanno preso 7 gol... ma non è che non si sa più difendere?" (a lot of goals are scored in Italy, tonight Inter and Napoli conceded 7, isn't it that nobody knows how to defend any more?), he asked, as reported by Tuttosport. Inter had lost 4-3 at home to Club Brugge the same evening.

Allegri did not defend the trend. "È diventata quasi una vergogna saper difendere", he said, and then he turned to his own team: "Da inizio stagione subiamo troppo, dobbiamo trovare maggiore equilibrio" (since the start of the season we concede too much, we need more balance). On De Bruyne, he explained he had asked him to drop between the two midfielders and "non ci siamo capiti". To Sky, he added: "Le partite si possono perdere, ma non in questo modo!" (you can lose games, but not like this), according to Calcionapoli24.

The numbers back the coach's mood. Napoli led after eight minutes and were 2-1 down after 26, conceding twice in three minutes, and Villarreal finished with four shots on target to Napoli's three (ESPN). Matteo Politano, whose loose pass led to a goal according to Calcionapoli24, apologised afterwards: "Chiedo scusa a compagni e tifosi" (I apologise to my team-mates and the fans), Corriere dello Sport reports.

Napoli's season is not in crisis at home, but Europe is a different story. Zero points from two games leaves them near the bottom of the 36-team league phase, with six games left to reach the play-off places. What happens next: a league game away to Venezia on Saturday, then Bodø/Glimt in Naples on 20 October, a game that already feels like a must-win.