The casual observer may have missed Scott McTominay’s deadline day move from Manchester United to Napoli, dismissed it as an average player joining a 6/10 team not expected to pull up any trees. What the hell happened then? Fast forward 9 months and the newly crowned Serie A Player of the Year was scoring a bicycle kick in the final game to win Napoli only their fourth ever title.
It was 12th goal of a stellar season which also included 6 assists in his 34 matches and it underlined his importance to Napoli and, perhaps more importantly, to Antonio Conte. A dynamic midfielder himself, he saw something in “McSauce” at Manchester United and knew it would set Napoli on their way to a title.
The numbers speak for themselves too, in the top 5 European leagues this season, he ranks in the top 10% of all midfielders for goals per 90 minutes. His non-penalty xG of 0.21 goals per 90 minutes puts him in the top 4% of European midfielders his average touches in the opposition area per match of 2.84 is in the top 10% of European midfielders.
So is this simply a case of a player not being great in a top league and excelling at a “lower” level? Well, anyone who watched the Europa League final would argue that the Premier League standard isn’t exactly among Europe’s elites at the moment. There is something to be said for the breath of fresh air that seems to be achieved by leaving Manchester United. Jadon Sancho, Marcus Rashford and others have all experienced a renaissance outside of Old Trafford.
But there’s something else at play here… McTominay has taken on a more attacking role in Napoli’s midfield. Traditionally viewed as a box to box player, Conte has shifted McTominay into an advanced playmaker role, finding himself often between the attacking and midfield lines and exploiting the gaps that brings. Aerially he’s a threat too, Napoli’s other midfield players don’t carry the same physical presence of McTominay – making Napoli a handful on set pieces with Lukaku also involved.
“Scott has goals in his blood; he’s very good at making runs into the box.” Antonio Conte
It’s notable how much McTominay has been able to improve his pressing and his off the ball runs. Timing has significantly improved, yes Serie A is played at a slower pace than the Premier League, but Conte and McTominay have clearly worked hard to improve this part of his game.
This marked improvement and desire to get better has had a ripple effect on a squad who last season rather limply defended their title. The entire squad is clearly working harder, thinking more and getting the results that go with it. McTominay was emphatic when asked on Conte’s influence on him, “When a coach like that wants to bring you into the squad, it fills you with confidence. The conversations we’ve had are obviously between me and the coach, but all very positive and really demanding, which is really good for a player of my age.”
Conte wasn’t holding back when he spoke about McTominay either, “Scott has goals in his blood; he’s very good at making runs into the box. He has excellent technical qualities, as well as an important physical stature. And he’s strong in the air. In his DNA, he has quite a few goals.”
In fact, pundits in Italy have been falling over themselves to praise the Scottish contingent in Naples, especially McTominay. Paolo Di Canio was decisive when he said, “How can you sell Scott McTominay for £30 million and sign Ugarte for £50 million?”.
It’s hard to argue with Di Canio too, while United were labouring to a 15th place finish in the Premier League after losing the Europa League final, McTominay was enjoying the adulation of Neapolitans by swigging from a whiskey bottled thrown onto the team bus during the victory parade.
Naples is the birthplace of pizza, and I have a feeling it won’t be long before we start seeing the deep fried…
The Calcio Blog 