Allegri fresh De Bruyne tension after Napoli crumble 3-1 with Villarreal

Napoli manager Massimiliano Allegri admitted to ongoing tactical tension with Kevin De Bruyne following a 3-1 Champions League defeat against Villarreal. After taking an early lead via Amir Rrahmani, Napoli surrendered goals to Georges Mikautadze, Santiago Mourino, and Tani Oluwaseyi. Allegri revealed a halftime tactical disagreement occurred when he instructed De Bruyne to drop deeper into midfield to push Scott McTominay forward.

Allegri criticized the midfield's lack of defensive pressing, noting that the team leaves defenders isolated and concedes too many long-range shots. The loss leaves Napoli with zero points from two Champions League matches following an earlier defeat to Arsenal. The manager reiterated his preference for De Bruyne to operate as a deep-lying playmaker, a role the Belgian midfielder reportedly opposes.