Napoli head coach Massimiliano Allegri has reacted to the heated exchange he had with star midfielder Kevin De Bruyne during their disappointing European display against Villarreal.
The Seria A giant suffered a 3-1 defeat in Spain with the tension between Allegri and De Bruyne becoming a major talking point.
Reports suggested that the De Bruyne had ignored specific tactical instructions, leading to a heated exchange between the pair.
However, Allegri during his latest press conference dismissed any long-standing issues. He attributed the incident to a simple misunderstanding fueled by different languages.
Massimiliano Allegri and Kevin De Bruyne of Napoli during a training session. (Photo by Ciro De Luca/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
”Did he bother me? No, there was a misunderstanding, but that was it. These things happen and will happen again. If we understand each other straight away, it’s better: I spoke Italian, he spoke English, then I started speaking in English and he wanted to understand in Italian. The boy is intelligent, he understood,” the coach explained, as quoted by Tuttosport.
De Bruyne joined Napoli in 2025 after his contract with Manchester City expired. However, he has not been able to help Napoli hit the ground running this season.
Napoli have been far too inconsistent so far this season, losing both their Champions League matches and earning just ten points in six Serie A matches.
”I’m not concerned; we need to find solutions to the problems,” Allegri insisted.
”We need to manage the ball better at certain points in the match and then deal better with unexpected incidents, such as Politano’s misplaced pass, which can happen.
”When a team is strong, even during difficult moments, and there are opponents to consider too, your world cannot fall apart. Once that moment has passed, we still have plenty of time to improve.
”We just need to work, get all the players back and available, and manage playing every three days. We need everyone,” Allegri continued.
