Napoli return from the international break with their squad already stretched, leaving Massimiliano Allegri with limited room to alter his plans for Saturday’s home meeting with Frosinone at the Maradona.
Only 19 players are currently available to the coach as Napoli look to resume their push towards the top of the Serie A table and end their wait for another victory. October has only just begun, yet the club have already had 11 players sidelined since the start of the season, accounting for 27 missed matches between them.
Vergara became the latest concern after suffering an injury on Monday against Turkey, in his first start for the national team. Marianucci and Buongiorno have yet to feature, while Giovane and Scott McTominay were forced out early in the campaign. Others have also spent spells away from the side after picking up physical problems.
A squad split between cover and shortages
The picture improved slightly when Alex Meret, Leonardo Spinazzola and Giovane returned to group training. Their availability lifted Allegri’s working group from 16 to 19, but the numbers do not create the same security in every department.
Napoli have several central defensive options and a number of attacking players, but the midfield and wide defensive areas are far less protected. There are few genuine selection contests in those positions, and the likely side is taking shape well before Frosinone arrive.
Meret is set to resume his place in goal, with Vanja Milinkovic-Savic behind him, restoring the hierarchy with which Napoli began the season.
Allegri can still retain a four-man defence. A three-player line had been considered during the week, but injuries to Favasuli and Mathias Olivera reduced the alternatives. Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Amir Rrahmani and Rafa Marin are in line to feature, while Spinazzola’s return is important on the left.
Spinazzola is Napoli’s only specialist left-back currently fit. Benoit Badiashile is the emergency alternative on that side, despite standing close to two metres tall and having made only two appearances at left-back in his career. Sam Beukema and Marianucci provide further cover in the middle of the defence.
Midfield burden falls on Gilmour and Lobotka
The central area is where the absence list is most sharply felt. With McTominay and Frank Anguissa still unavailable, Allegri has only Billy Gilmour and Stanislav Lobotka as senior midfield choices.
Both players completed their final international fixtures only recently and are travelling back to Italy with just a few days before the Frosinone match. The same midfield pairing that started against Fiorentina at the Franchi before the international pause is therefore expected to continue.
With 19 available players, Allegri’s matchday calculation is narrow: a probable starting eleven, five possible changes from the bench, and three members of the group who may not be used.
More options behind Hojlund
The forward line offers the coach a little more flexibility. Rasmus Hojlund remains the clear choice at centre-forward after scoring three times for Denmark during the break.
Politano, Kevin De Bruyne and Noa Lang are the likely trio operating behind him, having also started alongside Hojlund against Fiorentina. Yet Allegri can at least consider alternatives in those roles.
David Neres can operate on either flank, while Giovane’s return provides a versatile option wide, behind the striker or as a false nine. Lorenzo Lucca is also available, although his role is limited to the central striking position currently occupied by Hojlund.
For Napoli, the visit of Alvini’s Frosinone is not simply another fixture after an international interval. It is an early test of how far a side can keep moving in the title race while waiting for an injury-hit squad to become whole again.
