Massimiliano Allegri has confirmed that he has ‘given up’ on his appeal of the two-match suspension that he was given after Napoli’s recent 3-3 draw against Roma, and has identified where his side need to improve heading into Wednesday evening’s game against Monza in Serie A.
Allegri sat down for his customary pre-match press conference ahead of Napoli’s upcoming Serie A match against Monza, which kicks off at 19.45 GMT on Wednesday evening.
During his talk with the press, Allegri discussed a number of topics including his touchline outburst over the weekend, which has earned him a two-match suspension, his side’s need to improve defensively and the fitness of Scott McTominay, Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa and Antonio Vergara.
Allegri’s pre-match press conference ahead of Monza vs. Napoli
The first questions that came Allegri’s way referred to his red card at the end of Napoli 3-3 Roma and the fiery comments that Allegri was reported to have made in the tunnel.
“There’s not much more to say, so much has happened now. This morning, I decided to give up on the appeal. You never know, I might end up with a four-game ban instead of two,” Allegri joked.
“The biggest regret isn’t the suspension, but the fact that we didn’t bring home the three points after playing a good game. The rest is all talk. It’s a case of would have/should have. Not what he did say, but what he might’ve said. Let’s have a laugh about it now.
“I’m sorry I won’t be there in the dugout. I enjoy going to Turin. Those who will be there will do a better job than me, I have a great staff.”
When Gian Piero Gasperini spoke at a press conference on Monday, he said that the way the incident unfolded and the way it was reported was ‘unfortunate’.
Asked for a response, Allegri said: “I didn’t hear what he said, but the words that were reported might’ve been wrong. But we can’t change the result of the suspension now. We have to work hard, we’re behind in the standings and all we can do is work hard to try and improve it, to improve on certain in-game situations where we’re letting ourselves down at the moment.
“Maybe in a month, things will have changed, but we have to work on the performances. The players’ conditions are improving. Several have been out for two months like McTominay, Anguissa; Alisson has been in and out, Neres has been injured, now Badiashile. We have to get those who are out back in and improve the condition of those guys who have played less.”
Allegri began to dissect his side’s recent 3-3 draw against Roma and the lessons that he has learned from that outing.
“We had a good game against Roma. We need to do better in terms of distribution. At times, we forced it against Roma when we could have managed possession better. At 2-0, we should have controlled it better. In the first halves, we have only conceded two goals this season. In the second halves, we’ve conceded eight, so there’s data that shows us where to improve and that helps us understand that we need to be better in certain moments.”
Allegri was asked about his recent tactical tweaks and whether this has been the reason behind Napoli’s improved performances over the last week.
He said: “If Lobotka plays in front of the defence, he has the right characteristics for it, he’s an excellent player. If Gilmour plays there, it’s different, with De Bruyne, it’s more direct, he can change the game in an instant. It’s a matter of characteristics. They give you different ways of playing. De Bruyne is extraordinary at playing these 50-yard passes, but he can’t play every single game like some of the others, so changes become fundamental.”
And what about Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa, who played the full 90 minutes against Roma over the weekend, but might need his minutes managing after recent injury issues.
“The only way to get them back to their best condition is to let them play,” Allegri insisted. “He’s been rested since last year, he’s not played enough.”
There were also updates on Amir Rrahmani and Antonio Vergara: “Rrahmani has returned to the group, but he’s been out for many months. We need to be good but also a little lucky to get results and rehabilitate players at the same time.”
And on Vergara, he added: “He’s available, Antonio has excellent qualities. He’s a winger who loves to come inside, a raider, he likes to get into the box. He’s got seven or eight goals in him in a league season. He’s got his own characteristics, he has to improve in some areas of the game in terms of tactics and individual technique.”
And how about Rasmus Hojlund, who has put in some selfless performances of late but is without a goal himself for the last eight games at club level. Is there a chance that Lorenzo Lucca replaces him at centre-forward?
“Lucca will definitely have an opportunity to play, he had an excellent pre-season, he’s scored goals. He might feel the pressure a bit more, but he’s given us his availability. Against Genoa, he came on and provided the action that led to the goal. We have to be confident of his qualities.
“Hojlund is very strong physically and now he’s taking games to the very end, not falling short in the 60th minute. He had three big chances the other day, but did well.”
Lastly, Allegri was asked about his side’s defensive output. Despite a win and a draw over their last two matches, Napoli have conceded six in those games and have shipped 10 in their last four games, letting in three goals in three of those games.
Allegri said: “I’ve seen some data. We’re conceding an average of four shots on target per game, but that doesn’t tell you how we concede them or where we’re conceding them from.
“The data says we concede four shots on target, so we have to work on ourselves when we are defending our own area, like for Soule’s first goal or the third goal against Roma. We have to work on that, there will be some mistakes, we will be better at other times.”