Further details emerge as tension rises between Napoli and Allegri
Reports from La Repubblica on Tuesday claimed that ‘the honeymoon period is over’ between Napoli and their recently-appointed head coach, Allegri.
The team is off to its worst Serie A start in a decade with just seven points from their first five league games of the season, and it has been suggested that the atmosphere behind the scenes is becoming increasingly tense and hostile.
Among the allegations in the Italian press is a breakdown in relationship between Allegri and a number of his senior players, supposedly including Kevin De Bruyne, who has struggled to live up to expectations after joining on a free transfer last summer.
Tuesday’s reports claim that Allegri had attempted to lighten the mood and the workload during pre-season by offering his senior players a less physically-demanding regime, but that in recent weeks, he has begun to show more of the stick rather than the carrot.
This is made clear in a recent report from FootballNapoli who claim that Allegri, furious after his side’s ‘unacceptable’ performance in their 1-1 draw against Fiorentina, ‘punched walls’ and ‘screamed’ plenty of expletives at his players in the dressing room after full-time.
The latest update claims that Allegri ‘threatened’ his players, warning that ‘everything’ must change as quickly as possible, as he has not seen the level of hunger or desire needed to win games at the highest level.