New Napoli manager Massimiliano Allegri has got his feet under the table in Naples and, in just four weeks’ time I Partenopei will start their 2026/27 Serie A campaign when they visit Genoa on Saturday 22nd August.
Napoli were best of the rest in the Scudetto race last term and the Serie A 2026 betting odds here at SBOTOP currently say that is their likely position again in 2027, with champions Inter Milan the strong favourites. Allegri takes over from Antonio Conte, who delivered the Scudetto in 2025 and so expectations in Naples and down the Amalfi Coast are high.
After an underwhelming year at AC Milan Allegri will be keen to improve his stock again at a club which has recently won two Scudettos in three seasons and he can point to an impressive track record in management. He spent five seasons as Juventus boss where he won five consecutive league titles as well as reaching the Champions League finals in 2015 and 2017, though since 2020 his star has waned a little. He took a couple of years out before returning to Juventus in a difficult period of transition for the Old Lady and then Allegri had his ill-fated season in Milan.
He still remains one of Serie A’s most successful managers and, with a contract which takes him to 2029 he has time to make his mark in Naples. But it is a pressure game. Last term, and under Allegri’s guidance AC Milan missed out of Champions League football for a second season running and that ended up with a quick exit for the manager. He knows it’s all about Serie A 2026 results and the business starts very quickly; but I think he has the skills to make a success of his time in Naples, and that would mean a top three finish in the Scudetto and a strong Champions League campaign.
Allegri’s evolving philosophy
This is the second time he has followed Conte into a successful club, arriving at Juventus in 2014 and Allegri won great plaudits for the way his teams played with creativity, fluidity and attacking intent, in front of a well-organised defensive unit. And I Bianconeri were hugely successful under the new manager who was, in some ways less intense than his predecessor and allowed his players more freedom to express themselves.
In his second stint in Turin things were different as he took over a team low on confidence and in the shadow of the Milan giants and this time, he was criticised for a more rigid approach, with defensive organisation taking precedence over attacking fluidity; but the Old Lady stabilised and has been a top four regular and title contender once again, vying with Napoli as the biggest challenger to reigning champions Inter Mian this season.
He is willing to adapt to the circumstances and, as well as possessing highly detailed tactical awareness Allegri is one of the best man-managers in the game.
What does he have to work with?
Napoli’s new boss follows Conte once again into a club which has plenty of talent in its squad and no little experience, and the balance will allow Allegri to coach football which is easy on the eye. Midfield general Scott McTominay arrived in Naples as a defensive midfielder, but he has been transformed into a match-winner, scoring 22 goals in 67 matches and named as the Club’s Player of the Season during the 2025 Scudetto-winning campaign. Allegri can build his team around McTominay, but it looks like he will have to prepare for life without Belgian attacking midfielder Kevin de Bruyne, who looks likely to leave the club after just one season, with Turkey or Saudi Arabia the most likely destinations.
Up front, former Manchester United striker Rasmus Hojlund had a successful season on loan and has signed a permanent deal, while Romelu Lukaku looked back to his best at the World Cup with Belgium. And alongside McTominay, Slovakian midfielder Stanislas Lobotka is a powerful presence in the centre of the park.
Wingbacks Giovanni Di Lorenze and Leonardo Spinazzola have Serie A experience in spades, and they will help Allegri with their leadership on the pitch; but the new man has a problem at the heart of his defence where centre back Alessandro Buongiorno has picked up a knee injury and may miss the early weeks of the season. Napoli have tried to bring in reinforcements to play alongside Dutch star Sam Beukema but have so far been unsuccessful with a loan request for Cheslea centre back Benoit Badiashile turned down.
He has time on his side and Allegri knows his way around the Italian top flight. After a difficult year in Milan I think he will do well in Naples.
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