Massimiliano Allegri said Napoli must start climbing the table one game at a time after speaking to the media on Tuesday, the day before the visit to Monza. He said he will not be in the dugout against Monza or Juventus, but insisted the squad still has enough support around it to handle the next stretch.
What made the moment matter was not just the ban itself. Allegri said he was more disappointed about Napoli dropping three points in a match they deserved to win than about being forced out of the technical area. He added that Napoli are lagging behind in the standings and need to turn small moments back in their favour if they want the position to change.
The message came as Napoli prepared for a tight run of fixtures and a side still trying to settle its shape. Allegri said the team are getting back some of the players they had missed, but Benoit Badiashile has now been sidelined, which leaves the squad balancing returnees and absences at the same time. He said Napoli have to make full use of the players available while they wait for the others to come back.
There was also a clear warning in the way he described the football itself. Allegri said Napoli have not been getting the rub of the green, but he also said they must do better with distribution and ball management after decisions went wrong in the match against Roma. In his view, they overdid things at times instead of keeping the ball, a lapse that becomes more costly when results are already short.
That is why the match with Monza looms as more than another league fixture. Allegri said Monza set up man for man in a similar way to Roma, which should make the contest very tactical and force Napoli to read the game properly. He said the backroom staff can guide the players in his absence, and he pointed to Antonio Vergara as one to watch, calling him a young lad with tremendous potential who will be with the squad tomorrow.
For Napoli, the immediate test is simple enough: stay afloat now, then start climbing. Allegri said results boost belief, but belief alone will not close the gap. The climb has to begin against Monza, with the next step already waiting behind it.
