Napoli’s trip to the Stadio Pier Luigi Penzo turned into a fresh nightmare for Massimiliano Allegri’s side, following a 1-0 defeat to Serie A’s bottom club—a result that deepened the team’s disastrous start and reignited doubts over their ability to compete this season.
The loss alone was not the only story, as Kevin De Bruyne once again took center stage during a highly turbulent week. The Belgian had started it with a brace to lead Napoli past Frosinone, before engaging in a public tactical spat with Allegri against Villarreal, and subsequently starting the Venezia clash on the bench under the guise of squad rotation.
The hosts held firm during the first half in Davide Nicola’s managerial debut, having taken charge following Giovanni Stroppa’s sacking after Venezia lost their previous seven matches across league and cup competitions. Four minutes into the second half, Akor Adams latched onto a long ball from Simon Sohm and physically outmuscled Amir Rrahmani, before firing a shot that deflected off the Napoli defender to wrong-foot Alex Meret and settle in the net.
Allegri immediately threw on his attacking options, introducing De Bruyne, Rasmus Højlund, and Alisson Santos. The latter nearly created an equalizer, but Juan Jesus made a crucial goal-line clearance to deny Højlund’s effort. In the 68th minute, the Danish striker won a penalty following a clumsy challenge by Matías Moreno, handing Napoli an ideal opportunity to pull level.
De Bruyne stepped up to take the spot-kick with no debate over the taker’s identity this time, but he produced a weak effort that goalkeeper Filip Stanković comfortably gathered. The incident carried a bitter irony: Højlund had missed a penalty against Frosinone a week earlier, prompting Allegri to order De Bruyne to take the retake, which the Belgian converted to set up a 3-0 victory.
The missed penalty came just days after tension flared between De Bruyne and Allegri during the 3-1 Champions League defeat to Villarreal, when the manager instructed his player to swap positions with Scott McTominay. The instructions were not properly conveyed, leading to angry gestures and shouted exchanges along the touchline.
Speaking before the Venezia match, Allegri said: “It was just a misunderstanding; he was speaking English and I was speaking Italian.”
The Italian coach added: “These things happen, but it’s better if we understand each other faster,” asserting that the issue was resolved. However, De Bruyne’s benching followed by his missed equalizer will keep the relationship between the two under close scrutiny in the coming period.
Napoli remain stuck on 10 points from seven matches—recording three wins, one draw, and three defeats—to sit provisionally in ninth place, having scored 10 goals while conceding seven. The figures become even more damning when including the Champions League, with Allegri’s side losing five of their opening nine official matches this season. Meanwhile, De Bruyne remains the club’s top league scorer with three goals, despite the ongoing debate surrounding his role on the pitch.
Napoli have little time to catch their breath, as they host Bodø/Glimt in the Champions League on October 20, before facing Roma at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona on October 24. They then travel to face Monza on October 28 and Juventus on November 1, followed by a European trip to Porto on November 4—a grueling run of fixtures that could decisively shape Allegri’s future and the trajectory of Napoli’s season.
