Naples, 24 October 2024 – After the 2‑1 defeat against Roma, coach Massimiliano Allegri held a press conference at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium, in which he expressed frustration at the two points lost and explained his dismissal. The match, which saw Napoli ahead for most of the time, ended with a penalty by Roma which changed the outcome and led to the expulsion of the coach.
Allegri began the conference by underlining that, despite the good offensive performance, Napoli had difficulty maintaining their superiority. "It was a very good game from both teams, but there are also moments when you have to defend. Unfortunately we let ourselves come from behind many times and tonight we left two points on the way," he said. The coach then explained his expulsion, stating that he was excluded because "I was silent" and a player called the referee, who decided to send the coach off. Allegri added that "we will do charity with the fine this round too", indicating a certain irony about having to pay the fine.
As for the team, Allegri tried to find a positive side in the match. "The boys must be calm because they have reached a good condition and the performance is improving. It's disappointing because we had the ball at 3-2, but this is football," he said. He also recalled the performance in Venice, where Napoli made mistakes, and praised the chances created and the defense, although the final result was disappointing. The coach concluded with a tone of frustration, but also of determination: "I'm very angry, but happy with the performance. Disappointed for the lack of victory and angry for what happened in the end. I promise I'll get on the bench and I won't even get up again."
Allegri then spoke about the group's difficulties, citing Badiashile's injury and the problem of Di Lorenzo, who suffered a blow to his knee against Bodø/Glimt. He underlined that the players who entered the field performed well, but that the team must recover their energy for the next three away games. As for Badiashile, the coach explained that the athlete suffered a muscle injury after months of inactivity and that, despite rest, he had a relapse. Rrahmani, however, has been rested and will be available starting from Wednesday.
The conference ended at 8.22pm, with Allegri reiterating his desire to improve the team and face the next challenges with the same determination. Napoli remains in the mid-table zone, but the defeat against Roma and Allegri's expulsion have raised questions about the future of the team and the management of the next matches.