Massimiliano Allegri sat down with the gathered media for the traditional pre-match press conference the day before Napoli take on Villarreal at El Madrigal.
“Tomorrow is going to be a very tricky game – it's always tough playing in this stadium,” the coach explained.
“Villarreal are a well-drilled side who give very little away. They're strong in one-on-ones, especially in the wide areas, and they have some talented players. We'll need to keep things tidy, hold our shape and produce a quality performance.
“I expect it to be a very different game to the one against Frosinone. Villarreal play a different brand of football. We'll need to be able to read our opponents' style of play.”
Why have Napoli adopted three at the back?
“I don't like talking too much about formations. It's very simplistic to talk about three or four in defence to describe the way you playing. What's more important is the way you interpret the different phases of the game.
“[Scott] McTominay is making progress. He could start tomorrow but I'm not sure yet. We'll wait until tomorrow morning so that we can assess everyone's condition because we need everyone at their best.
“We need to keep calm and stay grounded. We must be good at turning the fans' passion into positive energy.”
