Coach's future at troubled Italian club could hinge on daunting Liverpool trip

MILAN - Napoli heads for Liverpool on Wednesday for a Champions League game which could prove crucial to coach Carlo Ancelotti's future at the troubled Italian club.

The three-time Champions League-winning coach's second season at Stadio San Paolo has proved to be a complicated one, after leading it to second in Serie A in his first year.

His team's fortunes have waned after the high of opening its Champions League campaign with a 2-0 win over reigning champion Liverpool. Dressing-room unrest abounds amid friction between players and the club's board.

Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis ordered the team to be confined to a week-long training camp earlier this month after a 2-1 league defeat to Roma saw it slip to seventh in Serie A.

But as Ancelotti voiced his disagreement with the lockdown, the players returned home after a 1-1 draw at Red Bull Salzburg three days later, which stalled its bid to reach the Champions League last 16.

"The relationship between the president and I is excellent and nothing changes," Ancelotti, 60, had insisted after saying he disagreed with the training camp.

Movie mogul De Laurentiis threatened to sell the entire squad and take legal action against the players after a dressing-room revolt.

And the sanctions began to fall this week amid reports on Monday the players would receive hefty fines for breaking the lockdown.

Gazzetta Dello Sport reported that players' salaries for November - apart from those out injured at the time - will be cut by a quarter.

Brazilian Allan, who had an argument with Edoardo De Laurentiis, son of the Napoli president, will see his salary slashed by half, or 200,000 euros ($220,000).

In total, players' salaries will be cut by 2.5 million euros ($2.7 million).

Media blackout

The club has also imposed a media silence, with Ancelotti and the players refusing to speak after Saturday's 1-1 draw against AC Milan extended its winless run to six games in all competitions, and left it 15 points behind Serie A leader Juventus and out of the European qualification places.

However, under UEFA rules Ancelotti will be obliged to speak during a news conference at Anfield on the eve of the Liverpool match, with Napoli confirming that he will be present.

"We are not satisfied with the performance and the ranking, but it is also true that we deserved more points and more luck in various games," Ancelotti said earlier this month.

"The situation must be considered with a cool head."

Ex-Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri, meanwhile, was seen in the stands at San Siro on Saturday, fuelling speculation he could be waiting in the wings.

Napoli is still on course to qualify for the Champions League knockout rounds as it currently sits second in Group E behind Liverpool, four points ahead of third-place Salzburg with two games to play.

Ancelotti's side will reach the last 16 if it beats Liverpool or if Salzburg does not defeat Genk, having failed to advance past the group stage last season.

But Napoli comes up against a Liverpool side which has an eightpoint lead at the top of the Premier League and whose only loss this season came at the San Paolo.

To add to its problems, Napoli will be without captain Lorenzo Insigne, who hurt his elbow in Saturday's match.

The Italian forward has scored five times for Napoli this campaign, and also scored the last-gasp winner against Liverpool in last season's 1-0 group-stage victory in Naples.

Polish forward Arkadiusz Milik has an abdominal inflammation, joining an injury list which already includes defensive duo Kevin Malcuit and Faouzi Ghoulam.

But Portuguese fullback Mario Rui and Spanish midfielder Fabian Ruiz, absent against Milan, have been named in the squad.

Ancelotti arrived in Naples boasting three Champions League trophies from his time with Milan and Real Madrid, and a Premier League trophy from his tenure at Chelsea.

But Napoli's chances of ending Juve's domestic domination have faded along with its hopes of a first Serie A title since the days of Diego Maradona, who also helped it win its only European trophy - the 1989 UEFA Cup.