Allegri shocks De Bruyne: I will play with four forwards, and I have the right to make mistakes after a quarter of a century
Change in Napoli's philosophy: huge anger after Roma draw
Massimiliano Allegri could barely contain his fury after a thrilling draw with Roma. The Napoli coach raged at the decision to send him off, then revealed plans to shake up his tactics and commit to a more attacking approach in the weeks ahead.
Twice Napoli threw away the lead. They went two goals clear only for Roma to peg them back, moved 3-2 ahead, then watched the Wolves claw their way level again. A cruel draw left both sides stalling. Eight matches in, Roma sit third on 18 points. Napoli's 11th point lifts them up to ninth, at least for now.
Discontent with the referee: "I said nothing"
The Italian coach expressed his displeasure at referee Andrea Colombo's decision, after the fourth official stepped in to signal his dismissal.
"The fourth official called the match referee and sent me off," he told DAZN, in comments reported by Tuttosport. "I didn't say anything. It's over now, and that's unfortunate."
Allegri added: "Next time I'll sit on the bench and not move. Every time I move I get sent off. Last year I paid a fine of 80,000 euros. Maybe I should stop going to the bench altogether."
His criticism turned to what he sees as uneven treatment of coaches. "I see others moving and doing more than that. So I thank Sacco.. Saccani, what's his name? I thank Saccani," he said, before clarifying that he meant Sacchi, the assistant referee. He closed his remarks about the match by paying tribute to his players.
Allegri changes his tactical approach: a shock for De Bruyne
The sending off left him furious, yet the Napoli coach still found plenty to admire in his side, who stood firm even defensively against a tough opponent. He said: "The team put in a good performance, even defensively, against a strong Roma. If we carry on playing with this spirit, we will move up the table."
Asked about his side drifting away from Allegri's usual style, the coach laid out a new approach. "Now I want everyone to play in an attacking style. I have changed my method. At the start of the season the situation was different, but from now on I will field four attackers too if I can."
Kevin De Bruyne's role in building play also came up. Allegri conceded the Belgian could not feature in every match, not with Stanislav Lobotka and Billy Gilmour among the options available to him. He added: "It is a pity that we dropped two more points. I am angry because of the ending, and perhaps I do not have enough composure to analyse the match. I apologise, because after 25 years of work I too can make mistakes."
Praise for Højlund and concern over the injury
On Rasmus Højlund's performance, Allegri said: "He had three good chances, and he worked well for the team. The goals will come, and he has to stay calm."
Turning to Baddiashile's injury, he explained: "Unfortunately, he picked up an injury, and we will assess his condition over the next 48 hours."
Asked finally whether he saw the draw against Roma as a positive or negative result, Allegri replied: "You tell me that. After 25 years, I am not in the right frame of mind to offer explanations about the match. I thank you and wish you a pleasant evening."