Di Lorenzo: 'Napoli gradually getting Allegri ideas, Arsenal at right time'
Quick summary
Napoli captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo says the squad is progressively absorbing Massimiliano Allegri's tactical ideas ahead of their Champions League clash with Arsenal.
Full article
Attributed to original sourceGiovanni Di Lorenzo insists Arsenal come at ‘the right time’ to revitalise Napoli after back-to-back Serie A defeats. ‘We will gradually get into what Max Allegri wants from us.’
It kicks off at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona on Wednesday at 20.00 UK time (21.00 CEST).
This has been a difficult start to the season for the Partenopei, who beat Genoa in the opening Serie A fixture, but then lost to Como and Inter.
Di Lorenzo sees fresh Napoli start NAPLES, ITALY – MAY 11: Giovanni Di Lorenzo of SSC Napoli celebrates after scoring his side first goal during the Serie A match between SSC Napoli and Bologna FC 1909 at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona on May 11, 2026 in Naples, Italy. (Photo by Francesco Pecoraro/Getty Images) “This game arrives at the right time, as it’s good after a defeat to get straight back out there,” insisted Di Lorenzo in his press conference.
“We want to start strong in the Champions League, we’re ready for a good game and analysed the errors that we made last week.”
The problems would seem to be largely in defence, where Napoli have conceded five goals in two games, including three when they had been leading 2-0 at San Siro.
“We went back over the errors that were made. I know that conceding three goals in one half isn’t something that makes us happy, it means we clearly made mistakes, and must do better from tomorrow,” continued the captain.
“In the Champions League, the level is so high that you are punished by the tiniest error, so we need the perfect performance in order to get a result.”
RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA – DECEMBER 18: Rasmus Hojlund of SSC Napoli celebrates scoring his team’s second goal with teammate Giovanni Di Lorenzo during the Supercoppa Italiana Semi-Final match between SSC Napoli and AC Milan at King Saud University Stadium on December 18, 2025 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Yasser Bakhsh/Getty Images) It is a different approach from predecessor Antonio Conte, especially as Allegri confirmed he will not be changing his 4-3-3 formation tomorrow, despite an injury crisis reducing his midfield options to the bare minimum.
“The coach asks us to be more aggressive, to cover the ball when it is at the feet of our opponents. Our legs aren’t running at top speed yet at this stage of the season, but we’re working on that aspect too,” noted Di Lorenzo.
“We’ve got to try to defend as a unit to control certain moments of the match better and understand what is happening. We’ve also got to defend with the ball.”
MILAN, ITALY – SEPTEMBER 05: Massimiliano Allegri, Manager of Napoli, reacts during the Serie A match between FC Internazionale and SSC Napoli at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on September 05, 2026 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images) Arsenal won the Premier League title last season and pushed Paris Saint-Germain all the way in the Champions League Final too.
“This is a strong team, an important test to see our level in a great competition, where we want to do better than last season. We’re not at the top yet, and it’s very hot at the moment, which hasn’t helped.
“There’s no point making comparisons with the past, we have started a new era and will gradually get into what Allegri wants from us. We are trying to follow the ideas of an experienced coach.”
Allegri today ruled out the suggestion that Napoli could return to three at the back.
“We try alternatives in training, because games are made up of phases now and you must be able to vary, but it makes no difference to me,” concluded Di Lorenzo.
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What happened
Giovanni Di Lorenzo, speaking ahead of Napoli's Champions League fixture against Arsenal, gave an update on how the team is settling under Massimiliano Allegri. The captain framed the timing of the Arsenal tie as positive, suggesting the side has had enough runway to begin internalising Allegri's footballing principles. His comments suggest a squad in transition, still learning a new system but growing into it as the European campaign continues. The piece underlines both the scale of Allegri's tactical imprint and the significance Napoli attach to the Arsenal meeting.
Chance analysis
When a captain publicly frames a new manager's ideas as something the squad is 'gradually' absorbing, it tells you where the project really stands. Allegri's fingerprints are only starting to show in Naples, and Di Lorenzo's framing — that Arsenal comes 'at the right time' — reads as measured confidence rather than certainty. The result is a Napoli side in mid-transformation heading into a defining European night, where the test is whether those embryonic ideas hold up against one of the continent's most settled teams.
Napoli's ongoing tactical transition under Allegri may limit their sharpness against Arsenal, even as Di Lorenzo's comments project confidence ahead of the Champions League tie.