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FEATURE
Tensions rise at Napoli as 'communication breaks down' between De Bruyne and Allegri
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Tensions appear to be rising between Kevin De Bruyne and manager Massimiliano Allegri at Napoli after the Italian side’s loss to Villarreal in the Champions League on Tuesday.
Napoli took an early lead but ultimately fell to a 3-1 defeat in Spain to condemn them to back-to-back losses in their first two matches of the Champions League group stage.
Allegri spoke after the match admitting that ‘we didn’t understand each’ other in a comment that could be attributed to the Napoli manager’s struggles with De Bruyne, who posed a frustrated figure during the match.
Gazzetta report that communication ‘broke down’ between Allegri and his star player, with De Bruyne ignoring the constant calls of ‘Kevin, Kevin’ from the manager trying to get the attention of the 35-year-old during the first half.
It is claimed that Allegri wanted De Bruyne to drop deeper into a playmaking role to find new attacking lines and free up Scott McTominay in attack, however the Belgian playmaker ‘didn’t even turn to meet his manager’s gaze’ and continued to ‘gesticulate and complain, pointing towards the opposition goal as his target’.
The report goes on to say that tension between the pair was ‘extremely high’, although Allegri’s concerns extends to all his senior players beyond De Bruyne who struggled, with the 59-year-old coach seemingly struggling to make an impact on his squad so far.
Napoli struggling to replace Conte impact as De Bruyne and Allegri take heat
Allegri was named as Napoli’s new manager in the summer, having replaced Antonio Conte despite the club finishing as champions and runners up during his two seasons in charge.
Napoli currently sit eighth in Serie A after three wins in their opening six matches but, with just two victories in the last seven games across all competitions, Allegri has urged his players to ‘change their attitude’ ahead of the trip to Venezia this weekend.
De Bruyne, meanwhile, joined Napoli last summer after leaving Manchester City on a free but he made just 13 starts in Serie A, scoring five times.
This season, De Bruyne has featured in every league match for Napoli, scoring three times, but with his side proving inconsistent, the veteran is the player most relied on to deliver during the tense times.
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