Kevin De Bruyne, Napoli's 35-year-old Belgian midfielder, delivered what may be his most complete display of the Serie A season against Bodo/Glimt, drawing praise from Allegri and earning high marks from match analysts — a sharp turnaround from the missed penalty that had defined his week just days earlier.
The timing matters. De Bruyne had become the symbol of Napoli's dysfunction after that spot-kick failure in a 1-0 defeat away to Venezia, a result that left Allegri's side ninth in Serie A with ten points from seven matches. Questions about his commitment had surfaced publicly, with doubts raised over whether he was truly suited to the demands of Italian football. The Bodo/Glimt performance did not silence every doubt, but it reframed the argument.
Allegri used the post-match to position De Bruyne explicitly within his tactical structure, saying the Belgian "is going to really enjoy himself playing in front" of the defence — a role that asks him to receive, distribute, and dictate rather than press and recover. At 35, with six Serie A appearances this season producing two goals and an average match rating of 7.10, De Bruyne's value is clearest when the system is built around his strengths rather than despite them. His AI overall of 84 out of 100 reflects a player whose ceiling, even now, remains well above the league's median.
Allegri was not entirely satisfied, however. He acknowledged that Napoli remain "too fragile," pointing specifically to their work off the ball and their ability to win interceptions. That self-assessment is consistent with the numbers: three wins, one draw, and three defeats, with ten goals scored and seven conceded across seven matches. A side that can produce De Bruyne's quality in possession but cannot protect the ball defensively is one that will continue to oscillate between the convincing and the catastrophic.
McTominay also drew significant praise from the Bodo/Glimt performance, suggesting that when Napoli's midfield functions as a unit, the individual quality within it is not in question. The problem has never been talent. It has been coherence — and Allegri's admission of fragility suggests he knows it.
De Bruyne has now scored twice in six Serie A appearances this season, without a registered assist. For a player whose greatest historical contribution has been creation rather than finishing, the assist column will need to open if the performance against Bodo/Glimt is to mean anything beyond a single good night. Allegri's tactical framing gives him the platform. Whether Napoli's structure holds long enough to let him use it is the question the next few weeks will answer.