September 10, 2026
Serie A

Allegri: "Very angry about the result." Then explains the delay to the microphones.

September 10, 2026Pablo Navarro3 мин

Massimiliano Allegri's Napoli fell in their Champions League debut against Arsenal, the English champions and European vice-kings, paying a heavy price for Odegaard's goal in the final third of the match. The Azzurri put in a good performance, containing the Gunners' offensive potential until a beautiful combination led to the English captain's goal. The former Juventus and Milan coach, after a lengthy discussion with his team in the locker room, did not immediately give statements to Amazon Prime Video microphones.

Allegri to Prime Video: 'My delay? I took time to talk to the team'

Massimiliano Allegri, after a few minutes of waiting, appeared before the Amazon Prime Video microphones: "I took time to talk to the team and take a shower. We played a good game against one of the strongest teams in Europe. The first half was very balanced, then they raised the tempo. We defended well, and that's positive. If we had defended like that on Saturday or against Como, it would have ended differently. In these games, if you make a mistake with the last pass, it's normal to risk conceding a goal as happened. We knew the game was complicated, and we are sorry because we are coming from three defeats. We need to take the positive, not get discouraged. We must be disappointed and angry, but today's spirit must carry us forward. When we defend like that, it's hard to score against us."

"In the first half, we had good quality in our build-up against their pressure and created favorable situations. In the second half, we had some difficulties, but we had clearer chances. Sometimes haste leads us to make mistakes, and that's what happened. Tonight we faltered on the one-two we didn't follow, and then, I repeat, we made several wrong choices with the final pass. **Injuries? I think I've lost Alisson for a while.** We'll see tomorrow; it's hard to say now. **We are evaluating Meret; let's hope not.**"

Allegri to Sky: 'Good spirit of sacrifice, but...'

Massimiliano Allegri, after the Napoli-Arsenal match, said: "The first half was very balanced. We had much more energy, with some players playing their first game. We managed to break out under pressure with good quality. We made mistakes in our choices, two or three times with crosses when there was no one in the box. They were good at closing us down on the counter-attack. All our crosses were blocked. There are also many merits of Arsenal. All the crosses were cleared. Then there were choices, in the second half, we made the wrong passing choices... There are positive aspects, but when you make so many wrong passing choices, you risk being punished against these teams. In the second half, they gained dominance, but we were good in that situation. We certainly risked something, but there was a good spirit of sacrifice, something that if you concede three goals in 20 minutes at San Siro at 2-0, you certainly couldn't do. This is another positive point."