Conte ‘not surprised’ by Gilmour in Napoli’s comfortable Coppa Italia win | OneFootball

Antonio Conte insists he was ‘not surprised’ by Scotland international Billy Gilmour, who started his first game for Napoli in a 5-0 Coppa Italia win over Palermo on Thursday.

Napoli beat Serie B side Palermo at the Stadio Maradona last night, seeing Gilmour start for the first time. The former Brighton midfielder played for the full 90 minutes, while his compatriot Scott McTominay was introduced as a substitute in the second half and scored his first goal for the Partenopei.

Conte heavily rotated his Napoli team, who were still able to secure a comfortable victory. The Azzurri will meet Lazio in the Coppa Italia Round of 16.

“We are working a lot on every aspect. I’m dealing with nice lads who are eager to build something meaningful. This facilitates my work,” Conte said at a press conference, as quoted by TMW.

Conte ‘not surprised’ by Gilmour in Napoli’s comfortable Coppa Italia win

“We should not forget that we played in the first part with a reduced team and only two central midfielders. I made a decision, even a risky one, to see all the players involved in the project. The best thing is the reply I received. The players have changed, but the performance was the same. This must raise awareness, and it’s a good starting point.

“They know they must deserve everything. I didn’t make gifts; those who played deserved so. I also tried Gilmour with Lobo. There are things we are trying, and now we must continue. We must continue working hard. We’ll face difficulties against Monza.”

Talking about Gilmour’s first Napoli start, Conte said: “The performance was convincing, but it didn’t surprise me.

“I know him well from my experience in England. We strongly wanted him because he has determined skill sets. He is a strong player, like the other new players. You see Lobotka and Gilmour, and you may think that we lost something in terms of structure, but we are working on it. Frank did well with Billy, too. We must create solutions, so if somebody has a headache or stomachache, I don’t have the same.”

Former Real Madrid defender Rafa Marin also started for the first time in a Napoli shirt against Palermo last night.

“He has improved physically in two and a half months. I like the way he works and his commitment,” said Conte.

“I’m asking him to improve in the build-up. You must be able to do so in a team like Napoli because we play football. He is 21 and has ample room for improvement. He has a great desire to emerge.

“It’s hard to call these players reserves. It’s something I didn’t even like as a footballer. There’s a group of 24-25 players and everyone is improving. I am sorry I could not play Zerbin, who proved he can be part of the team.”

The Partenopei have 10 points in the opening five Serie A games and meet Alessandro Nesta’s Monza in the next league fixture.

“We’ll face difficulties, so we must be good and make sure that we focus on Monza starting tomorrow. We have done well, it’s our duty, but now we have an important match,” concluded Conte.