Former AC Milan coach Fabio Capello says Napoli coach Antonio Conte was right to hook Kevin de Bruyne during the weekend defeat at San Siro stadium.
The substitution was left De Bruyne angry and earned a rebuke from Conte post-match.
Capello, reflecting on the game, told La Gazzetta dello Sport: "I went to watch the Milan match live, and Napoli made a great impression on me as a team. They're clearly missing Lukaku, who was the defensive player. He didn't play much on Politano's side, where Milan were weakest.
"Spinazzola's recovery is very important, because Di Lorenzo and Politano are very well-coordinated on the right. I saw a team that was a bit slow in their maneuvers and not very dangerous on the left. Playing with Hojlund, accustomed to a vertical position, he had some difficulty with Milan's defensive nature.
"De Bruyne was angry because he was taken off, thinking his creativity was needed. But I'm on Conte's side: you don't make substitutions out of sympathy. And besides, De Bruyne wandered around the pitch, made a dangerous pass and a half, which wasn't capitalized on. The substitution was the right one: he showed he's fit and ready to fight, and he'll always be on the pitch. Because quality is beyond discussion, but if you wander around, you play one less player."