Massimiliano Allegri insists Kevin De Bruyne can ‘play everywhere’ at Napoli, but the Partenopei boss is still waiting to see Benoît Badiashile in action: ‘He didn’t train yesterday.’
Napoli make their 2026-27 Serie A debut on Saturday, visiting Daniele De Rossi’s Genoa.
Genoa vs. Napoli – Allegri’s pre-match press conference
New Partenopei boss Allegri spoke to reporters during a press conference on Friday to preview the first competitive game of the campaign: “A new season begins; it’s an important and passionate time, and there’s always curiosity on matchday one,” Allegri said via TuttoNapoli.
“I’ve worked with the team for one month, and there’s great anticipation to understand what we’ll be able to do. I expect a tough game against a team that plays well at home, on a competitive and technical level. We’ll need a serious performance.
“The feeling I’ve had is that these players are available to work. A strong squad. I inherited a ready team, well coached by Antonio Conte,” Allegri continued.
“It’s a good advantage; they have characteristics mixed well. We can play with various systems, even during the match.”
De Bruyne has just started his second season at Napoli and recently resumed training with the rest of the team after the World Cup.
“He arrived later on, but he’s already in good shape,” Allegri said.
“I didn’t think he’d already be at this level after ten days. Big players can play everywhere; they know how to play there and can find the best position.”
Napoli have only made one signing so far: Costantino Favasuli from Catanzaro. Chelsea defender Badiashile underwent medical tests yesterday, but his initial loan transfer hasn’t yet been confirmed.
“The squad is excellent, and the club is vigilant in the transfer market, but right now we have very good players,” Allegri said.
“Sometimes it is thought that some are weaker than those outside, but instead we have to place a lot of value on those who are already here.
“Favasuli is a young player, and he’s arrived with great enthusiasm. The other one [Badiashile] is still not registered. I’ll have a week to look at him and give a proper judgment. He was here, but didn’t train,” he added.
“A new season starts tomorrow, and we all start from zero points. The defending champions are the team to beat: Inter. Fiorentina have had an excellent transfer window; Atalanta have made a lot of changes; Milan and Juventus have had a great window.
“Napoli have signed Favasuli and, maybe, Badiashile,” Allegri added, smiling.
“It’s a group that has been built in the last two years. There will be many surprises; the important thing is to work and get consistent results.”
Napoli finished the 2025-26 campaign in second, so are they still the strongest opponent for Inter?
“We won’t talk about favourites, but Inter have the Scudetto on their chests, so, logically, they are favourites,” Allegri said.
“It will be a thrilling season with seven teams, eight with Inter [fighting for the title]: Napoli, Inter, Juventus, Milan, Como, Roma, Fiorentina and Atalanta. It’s all to be discovered, and you have to be good and balanced. In 15 days, the Champions League starts, and that’s another goal, another wonderful competition, and then there’s the Coppa Italia. The team must remain competitive in all competitions.”
Napoli have only confirmed one new signing so far, but Lorenzo Lucca and Noa Lang are back in the team after their six-month loan spells in the second half of 2025-26.
“The strikers are Hojlund and Lucca. Let’s not forget that Hojlund is 23 and Lucca, I think, 25, but they are both valuable. Lucca was a major investment for the club; he scored two goals in a friendly and can continue to grow,” Allegri concluded.
“Lang has different characteristics; he’s a winger. From what I’ve seen, he’s a good player; he has strong technical qualities, but we all need the ambition to improve every day in training. They’re also young, they certainly don’t have 500 games under their belt and they can improve, you have to give them confidence and you need enthusiasm.”
