Allegri: 'De Bruyne completely different to other Napoli players'

Max Allegri admits Kevin De Bruyne ‘is completely different to usual players, there are few like him around’ after inspiring Napoli’s 2-0 victory away to Genoa.

It was a sluggish first half and some players looked in poor shape, but they kicked up a gear once De Bruyne, Antonio Vergara and Noa Lang came off the bench.

De Bruyne scored the opening goal after muscling Johan Vasquez off the ball, then his roll across found Vergara for the second on the counter-attack.

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Allegri sees strong Napoli start GENOA, ITALY – AUGUST 22: Massimiliano Allegri, Head Coach of Napoli before the Serie A match between Genoa CFC and SSC Napoli at Stadio Luigi Ferraris on August 22, 2026 in Genoa, Italy. (Photo by Simone Arveda/Getty Images) “The first game will always be a bit of a curiosity, as I’ve only known the team for six weeks, so I don’t know which players can do better than others in these situations coming off the bench,” Allegri told Sky Sport Italia.

“There was a little indecision on the substitutions therefore, but they did really well. Genoa had a very good game for the first 25-30 minutes, where we made a lot of mistakes playing out from the back. As the game wore on, we took more control.”

Considering the first half performance, there were a few eyebrows raised about the fitness levels of some players.

“The team is working well, but when players are very strong and physical, it takes them longer to get into good shape. We need everyone when playing in the Champions League, and substitutions are decisive at this level, both when we’re winning or losing games,” explained Allegri.

“The first match is always lacking the sharpness we’ll see in six weeks or so, and it is therefore important to be organised. We need to stop the passes coming through in defence, but at this stage of the season, it’s about making as few mistakes as possible.”

The former Milan coach has been known for his defensive approach historically, but could he try to start De Bruyne, Scott McTominay, Andre Frank Zambo Anguissa and Stanislav Lobotka together?

“All you need is to take off a winger and we’ll make room,” joked Allegri.

GENOA, ITALY – AUGUST 22: Johan Vasquez of Genoa is challenged by Kevin De Bruyne of Napoli during the Serie A match between Genoa CFC and SSC Napoli at Stadio Luigi Ferraris on August 22, 2026 in Genoa, Italy. (Photo by Simone Arveda/Getty Images) “I’m happy because Kevin De Bruyne is an extraordinary guy, he does things that are completely different to the usual players. The determination he showed scoring that goal, he sees things that other players cannot see. There are few like him around.”

Genoa were furious over the goal, as they thought De Bruyne had pushed Johan Vasquez in the build-up.

“My vision was never great, so I didn’t see it properly from the touchline,” shrugged the Napoli coach.

GENOA, ITALY – AUGUST 22: Lorenzo Colombo of Genoa is challenged by Amir Rrahmani of Napoli during the Serie A match between Genoa CFC and SSC Napoli at Stadio Luigi Ferraris on August 22, 2026 in Genoa, Italy. (Photo by Simone Arveda/Getty Images) Antonio Conte was perhaps a little more focused on possession football than Allegri has been, but does the new boss see potential for growing that aspect?

“We’ve got players who have passing in their DNA, but this is just the beginning, so at times we lack patience to spread the play, and try to force our way through. When we were 2-0 up, we did the opposite, trying to keep possession near our penalty area and not go forward, so we need to invert those two trends,” concluded Allegri.