A clear rift has erupted between Kevin De Bruyne and his manager Massimiliano Allegri during Napoli’s 3-1 defeat to Villarreal in the Champions League, a night that compounded the pressure on the Italian side.
According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, communication between the coach and his Belgian star completely broke down at a time when Napoli were unable to contain Villarreal or build an organized attacking response.
Allegri spent a large part of the first half shouting at De Bruyne from the technical area, demanding that he drop deeper into a deep-lying playmaker role to receive the ball from the defense and push Scott McTominay into positions closer to the opponent’s goal.
However, De Bruyne ignored his manager, continuing to point towards Villarreal’s goal and signaling his desire to remain in an advanced position behind the striker—a reaction that infuriated Allegri, who felt the player had disregarded his tactical instructions.
The coach attempted to downplay the dispute after the match, saying: “We didn’t understand each other,” but warned his players that repeating the same mentality against Venezia would subject the team to another heavy defeat. Meanwhile, reports suggest De Bruyne could be benched for the upcoming fixture.
Allegri’s criticisms are not limited to the Belgian star; he believes several senior players have failed to shoulder their responsibilities, with Napoli managing just three wins and a draw against four defeats in their opening eight official matches—the club’s worst start in 17 years.
Napoli lost their opening two Champions League matches against Arsenal and Villarreal, scoring just once to record the worst continental start in their history. Furthermore, Allegri has now lost eight of his last nine matches in the competition, failing to secure a single victory since October 2022.
De Bruyne joined Napoli on a free transfer in the summer of 2025 on a contract running until 2027 with an option for an additional year. He is currently the team’s top scorer in the league this season with three goals, but this latest tension follows a debut campaign disrupted by a serious injury that sidelined him for over four months—at a time when Napoli desperately need victories against Venezia and Bodø/Glimt to prevent a difficult start from turning into an outright crisis.
