Allegri dismisses De Bruyne clash as ‘a misunderstanding’

Napoli manager Massimiliano Allegri says his heated exchange with Kevin De Bruyne during the Champions League defeat by Villarreal was simply the result of a communication problem.

Napoli were beaten 3-1 by Villarreal on Tuesday, 13 October, leaving them without a win in their 2026-27 Champions League campaign.

The match featured an apparent confrontation between Allegri and the Belgium midfielder. Reports in Italy claimed De Bruyne had failed to follow a direct tactical instruction from his manager.

However, Allegri rejected that interpretation when speaking to Tuttosport before Napoli’s Serie A fixture against Venezia on Saturday, 17 October.

“Did he bother me? No, there was a misunderstanding, but that was it. These things happen and will happen again,” Allegri said.

“If we understand each other straight away, it’s better: I spoke Italian, he spoke English, then I started speaking in English and he wanted to understand in Italian.

“The boy is intelligent, he understood.”