Manna: ‘Napoli must not panic, Lang left out for disciplinary reasons’ against Arsenal

Manna: ‘Napoli must not panic, Lang left out for disciplinary reasons’ against Arsenal Napoli director Giovanni Manna reveals Noa Lang is dropped against Arsenal over disciplinary reasons, while urging fans not to ‘press the panic button’ just yet. It kicks off at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona in Naples at 20.00 UK time (21.00 CEST). You can follow all the build-up and action as it happens on the Liveblog. This has been a rough start to life under new coach Max Allegri, as after the win away to Genoa, they suffered back-to-back Serie A defeats to Como and Inter. Manna sees positive Napoli aspects NAPLES, ITALY – JULY 14: Andrea Chiavelli SSC Napoli AD, Giovanni Manna SSC Napoli sports director, Edoardo De Laurentiis SSC Napoli vice president, Massimiliano Allegri new SSC Napoli head coach and Aurelio De Laurentiis SSC Napoli President Massimiliano Allegri is presented as the new SSC Napoli head coach at Teatro di San Carlo on July 14, 2026 in Naples, Italy. (Photo by Francesco Pecoraro/Getty Images) With that in mind, what was the mood in the Partenopei camp ahead of this difficult clash against Arsenal? “We prepared the way you do for a Champions League game against the Premier League winners and former finalists, with hunger, curiosity, and the desire to have our say,” Manna told Sky Sport Italia. “I wouldn’t press the panic button, we made some mistakes against Como, it was a great performance against Inter and we were level until the 90 th minute. We need to be calm, but also cannot be happy, because we expect to get results. “We’ve got to be objective, it will be very difficult tonight, almost prohibitive, but from tomorrow we’ll try to get some players back to fitness and go for results.” MILAN, ITALY – SEPTEMBER 05: Rasmus Hojlund of Napoli reacts during the Serie A match between FC Internazionale and SSC Napoli at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on September 05, 2026 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Claudio Villa/Getty Images) There is an injury crisis, as Scott McTominay had surgery to correct a mild, benign arrhythmia, with Andre Frank Zambo Anguissa, Alessandro Buongiorno, Luca Marianucci and Giovane also injured, plus David Neres only fit for the bench. “De Bruyne got hurt almost immediately, which was a big shame, because he brought experience and quality to the side. However, Napoli are not just Kevin De Bruyne,” insisted Manna. NAPLES, ITALY – DECEMBER 07: Noa Lang of SSC Napoli reacts during the Serie A match between SSC Napoli and Juventus FC at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona on December 07, 2025 in Naples, Italy. (Photo by Francesco Pecoraro/Getty Images) There was an additional name missing from the Napoli squad this evening, as Noa Lang was not involved, but that was not due to an injury. “Lang did not behave correctly yesterday, so he will watch the game with me in the stands. He apologised to his teammates and the coach, the lad understood his mistake, it is behind us and tomorrow he will return to being at our disposal,” explained Manna.