Napoli's 3-2 loss at San Siro shows where control slipped

The final numbers tell the story of an unbalanced game: 63% possession for Inter against 37% for Napoli, 29 shots to 16, 10 corners to 5. Those are the figures of a team that took hold of the game and never let go.

That is where the game turned. Once Inter won back territory and tempo, Napoli stopped dictating the play and started absorbing it. A back line of Rrahmani, Marín, Di Lorenzo and Spinazzola held up in terms of shots conceded on target, but could not stop Inter gaining ground, corners and initiative until the momentum flipped.

Head coach Allegri had strong options on the bench, in midfield and attack, to try to snuff out the comeback. The game still finished in Inter's favour, and the question over timing and substitutions to manage a lead that slipped away remains open — a question about the bench before it is about individuals.

The league table does not soften the defeat: 3 points from 3 games, 12th place, one draw and two defeats in the last three outings. With Roma and Inter already on 9 points, Napoli go into their next matches with a concrete problem to solve — managing a game in hand — before any talk of the transfer window or individual defensive cracks.