Pressure mounts for Ancelotti at Napoli

SSC Napoli Coach Carlo Ancelotti could be an unlikely candidate for the sack if feelers coming out of Italy are to be believed. According to media reports in Italy, the Neapolitans Manager has been given two games by the club President Aurelio De Laurentiis to turn the fortunes of the team for good to avoid being let go.

This latest episode caps a miserable couple of weeks that have dogged the Partenopei for some time now. It’s believed this recent ultimatum issued by the club president could be linked to how Ancelotti backed the players who refused to attend a training retreat as instructed by the club management following their 2-1 league loss to AS Roma on the 2nd of November. This seeming player’s insubordination might be seen as being the main cause behind the manager’s current travails.

Unfortunately, this has led to some off-field repercussions with reports of Napoli players hiring bodyguards for their families for fear of being attacked because of their boycott of the training retreat. Polish Midfielder Piotr Zielinski’s wife had her car vandalized recently, while teammate Brazilian Allan Marques Loureiro’s home was also burgled. This has further soured the bad mood caused by the team’s current poor position in the Serie A.

The Naples side present league form is nothing to write home about. They have won only one of their past five games, which has left them in 7th place in the league 13 points behind league leaders Juventus FC and outside of the Champions League places. Last weekend’s 0-0 home draw against Genoa CFC has worsened an already tense situation, which could end in Ancelotti being relieved of his job if things don’t change for the better soon.

This is in complete contrast to their form in the UEFA Champions League, where they are doing very well 2nd in Group E behind defending Champions Liverpool FC.

The International break couldn’t have come at a more opportune time for Ancelotti and his players who have some breathing space plus time to regather their thoughts and come back refreshed to get Napoli back on track.

Napoli’s next game will be away to AC Milan on the 23rd of November, 2019.

Napoli [s priced at 2.24 to win, while AC Milan is available at 3.30 to defeat Napoli.

Written by: Ayotunde Omolayole