NAPLES, ITALY – OCTOBER 10: Frosinone Calcio manager Massimiliano Alvini and SSC Napoli manager Massimiliano Allegri interact before the Serie A match between SSC Napoli and Frosinone Calcio at Diego Armando Maradona Stadium on October 10, 2026 in Naples, Italy. (Photographer Francesco Pecoraro/Getty Images)
Massimiliano Alvini spoke of Frosinone’s mistakes in the 3-0 defeat to Napoli, saying they “deserved the win but the result is very harsh”.
Canarini has been the surprise package of the season so far with 10 points in the first five rounds, including a 2-0 win over Como.
That put them in confident mood going into the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium, but they were back within minutes.
A soft penalty was awarded for Giorgio Cittadini’s pressure on Rasmus Hojlund, then VAR ordered the penalty withdrawn because the keeper’s feet were off the line after Lorenzo Palmisani parried him.
Kevin De Bruyne came on and converted, moments later Noa Lang scored a rebound from Palmisani’s block, De Bruyne completed his goal in the 94th.c minute.
Alvini rue Frosinone errors
“The penalty was saved, they allowed it to be taken again and the momentum of the whole match changes,” Alvini told Sky Sport Italia.
“If the shots show that the foot was not on the line, it is correct to replay it. Unfortunately, we were in the game, we missed an inevitable penalty and made life difficult for ourselves.”
Frosinone’s chances at Napoli were primarily with Giorgi Kvernadze, inspired by former Napoli star and fellow Georgian international Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.
“Napoli deserved to win, but I think the 3-0 result is too harsh. We were less effective than in other matches, we didn’t have clear passes and that allowed Napoli to play differently,” the coach continued.
“I’m not going to be negative about my team, but I’m not positive. We have work to do and we have to go through this process to get there.
“We had some bad choices in the last third when it was still 0-0, and we had a chance to turn it around in the second half, but the final result wasn’t right. We played well overall, but we made mistakes in the final decisions.”
Frosinone remain the remarkable success story in Serie A this season with 10 points from six rounds and have averaged more playing time for the Italians than any other team.
Alvini added: “This match can give us a lot of pointers for us moving forward. Many of these players were playing their first games at the Maradona Stadium.”
“Our personality was visible, but not in the best way, so we have to improve our approach when playing against one of the strongest opponents.”