Pressure Builds on Allegri as Three Key Problems Emerge at Napoli

Napoli head coach Massimiliano Allegri's return to his former club Juventus ended in defeat. In the match played at the Allianz Stadium, goals from Kerim Alajbegovic and Jeremie Boga gave Juventus a 2-0 win. With this result, Napoli have collected 4 wins, 2 draws and 4 defeats in their first 10 league matches, leaving them on 14 points and in eighth place.

Napoli's biggest problem is a lack of results. Moments such as a 3-0 win over Frosinone and a 4-3 Champions League victory over Bodo/Glimt offered hope, but the team has not won any of the big tests this season. Having lost to Como, Inter, Arsenal and Juventus, Napoli also dropped points at home to Roma. Napoli have lost two of their first three Champions League matches. Across Allegri's first 13 official matches in charge of Napoli, they have five wins and six defeats.

The second problem is playing identity. Napoli sometimes show quality in attack, but they have not been able to establish consistency at the back. This clashes with the defensive structure for which Allegri is best known.

The third problem is the squad. Napoli were very quiet in the summer transfer window. According to TMW, the current squad looks closer to the end of a cycle than to the start of a new era.

There is also a hopeful precedent for Allegri. In the 2015-16 season, Juventus collected just 12 points from their first 10 matches and sat 12th, but they went on to win the Scudetto at the end of the season. Even so, the current Napoli squad is not on the same level as that Juventus side, which was in the middle of nine consecutive league titles.