Montolivo says De Bruyne has no role in Allegri's Napoli

Riccardo Montolivo says the Belgian has no place in the head coach's system, calling him the unresolved problem to emerge from Napoli's 3-2 defeat at San Siro.

by Gennaro SanninoSunday 6 September, 19:43 CET· 1 hour ago

Inter-Napoli: Napoli-Inter, De Bruyne in panchina 💙🤍 #SSCNapoli #Shorts — Foto: SSC Napoli (canale ufficiale)

Riccardo Montolivo delivered a harsh verdict on Kevin De Bruyne on Sky Sport, calling him Napoli's "great misunderstanding" after the 3-2 defeat at San Siro. "He can't play as a central midfielder, and he can't play out wide. With this system, I struggle to find a place for him," the former midfielder said. The comments land with Napoli's midfield already stretched: McTominay is out with a heart arrhythmia, and Anguissa has no like-for-like cover for his role.

Montolivo also ranked Serie A's contenders, putting Inter clearly above the rest "because they have better-quality players than everyone else and a clear identity," with Roma and Como ready to compete. Napoli, Milan and Juventus, he said, "are still under construction, they don't yet have a strong identity." On the San Siro defeat itself he was more forgiving of Napoli: "Both sides could have won, but Napoli had the game in their hands," pointing to the goal conceded "exactly three minutes after the second goal scored," at the moment Napoli needed to see the game out.

The De Bruyne question adds to head coach Allegri's selection and substitution dilemmas, with Arsenal visiting the Maradona on Wednesday 9 September for Napoli's Champions League opener — leaving where, or whether, to play the Belgian unresolved before kick-off.