Allegri Addresses Mood Swings Ahead of Inter Clash
Massimiliano Allegri walked into the press room and heard the first question: with the injuries, the defeat to Como, the transfer gap, was this even still a Scudetto fight?
He didn’t need to hear the rest to recognise the script.
“At Napoli it’s either over-excitement or depression, but we are only in Week 3,” he replied, shoulders lifting in a familiar shrug.
That line set the tone. San Siro awaits on Saturday at 17.00 UK time, Inter on the other side, and an early-season storm swirling around a club that never does calm particularly well.
From Como shock to San Siro stage
The 2-1 home loss to Como cut deeper than the scoreline. Napoli not only dropped points at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, they lost Giovane to injury and learned that Scott McTominay will be out for several weeks after surgery to correct a small heart issue.
Those setbacks arrive on top of long-term absentees Alessandro Buongiorno and Luca Marianucci. A title contender suddenly looks patched together.
Yet Allegri refused to lean into the panic.
“We’re disappointed to have lost to Como, but there must be balance, there are so many games still to be played,” he said. “We didn’t even put in a bad performance, but tomorrow is a head-to-head between the top two in the last two seasons. We go forward with confidence, then we can think about Arsenal and the Champions League.”
The calendar offers no mercy. Inter at San Siro, Arsenal looming in Europe, and a squad already stretched.
Allegri, though, chose to twist the narrative of the injury list.
“Injuries happen, but if you think that after the break for international duty there are nine matches in 26 days, it’s better to have those injuries now so everyone can recover in time for that spell.”
It is classic Allegri: take a problem, reframe it as timing, talk about the long road rather than the next bend.
Vergara, responsibility and the five-sub dilemma
With key players sidelined, attention turned quickly to Antonio Vergara. The youngster’s name has become shorthand for hope, and perhaps for impatience.
Allegri pushed back.
“I don’t think we should put too much responsibility onto the shoulders of Vergara. He’s a good player, but I think only has 12 games for Napoli, so we’ve got to take it easy.”
He then addressed the decision that raised eyebrows against Como, when Vergara stayed on the bench.
“I made a different choice against Como, he remained on the bench because I am only allowed five substitutions. We are improving physically, I am happy with how the lads are training, now we have to make fewer errors in the matches.”
The message was clear: development, not desperation. The coach will not throw a young player into the fire just to soothe the mood around the club.
De Bruyne waits, McTominay leaves a hole
Kevin De Bruyne, the marquee name in this Napoli side, has yet to start a game this season. In a city that measures patience in minutes, that is already a talking point.
“He is improving,” Allegri said, before pointing to the tactical puzzle left by McTominay’s absence. “Naturally I need to balance out the midfield without McTominay, as this limits the options. Benoit Badiashile is in the squad, I’m pleased with what I saw in training. I cannot ask anyone else for what we get from Scott, so it’s a different player with different characteristics.”
McTominay’s energy and vertical running have become a reference point for this Napoli midfield. Without him, De Bruyne’s integration has to be managed, not rushed. Allegri sounded determined to avoid simply plugging in a star name and hoping for the best.
Back to San Siro, with Inter as favourites
For Allegri, Saturday is also a personal return. Milan dismissed him last summer, ending his spell in charge at San Siro, though he left with the satisfaction of having won both Derby della Madonnina clashes against Inter.
“Playing in that stadium is always marvellous, while Inter and Napoli love to do battle,” he said. “We need a good performance with fewer technical errors, because those are costly.”
Then came a line that strips away any illusion about the pecking order.
“Inter are the real favourites for the Scudetto. We’ve got to be more careful, as we conceded two avoidable goals against Como. Head to head clashes are always difficult to win.”
This is not the usual pre-match bravado. Allegri knows Inter have spent, strengthened and settled, while Napoli navigated a more constrained summer.
Spending power and the long game
Napoli’s transfer window carried a familiar caveat: sell before you buy. While other Serie A giants pushed harder in the market, Allegri had to work within tighter limits.
He refused to turn that into an excuse.
“There’s no point looking at the others, we need to focus on ourselves. I’m pleased with the squad at our disposal, we’ve got to lay the foundations now for what will be the final push of the season, taking one step at a time.”
That is the crux of his message. Week 3, not week 33. A bruising defeat, not a defining one. Inter away, not a title decider.
Napoli arrive in Milan wounded, short of key men and facing the side their own coach calls “the real favourites for the Scudetto.” The mood outside may swing wildly between crisis and euphoria, as Allegri knows all too well.
Inside, he is trying to build something slower, steadier, less volatile.
San Siro will reveal whether that calm can survive 90 minutes against the strongest squad in Italy.
