‘Conte work made McTominay a complete player’ at Napoli | OneFootball

Napoli director Giovanni Manna credits Antonio Conte with helping to make Scott McTominay ‘a complete player’ with tactical work in training, building on his Manchester United promise.

It kicks off at the Stadio Via del Mare at 17.00 UK time (16.00 GMT, 18.00 CET).

You can follow all the build-up and action as it happens from all today’s four Serie A games on the Liveblog.

This is a potentially decisive time in the Scudetto race, because in the space of two rounds, the Partenopei went from trailing Inter by three points to going three points clear at the top of the Serie A table.

Lecce in mourning

It is also an emotional evening in Lecce, as the home club is mourning beloved physiotherapist Graziano Fiorita, who died of a suspected heart attack last week.

“When these things happen, it is not something anyone wants to experience. It shook the whole football world, he was a son of the city and this club, we unite in sending our condolences to his family. This is life, we have to keep going,” Manna told DAZN.

McTominay the hero for Napoli

Napoli’s midfielder Scott McTominay (2-L) and his teammates celebrate the 2-1 goal during the Italian Serie A soccer match SSC Napoli vs Como 1907 at Diego Armando Maradona stadium in Naples, Italy, 04 October 2024. EPA-EFE/CESARE ABBATE

As for Napoli, Alessandro Buongiorno suffered another injury, so with Juan Jesus and David Neres also out, Conte has shifted to a 4-4-2 formation with Matias Olivera preferred to Rafa Marin in central defence, even though it is not his natural role.

It is also possible thanks to the versatility of McTominay, who has been the key to this Scudetto push with 11 goals and four assists in 30 Serie A appearances.

“Last season was his first at Manchester United with a lot of goals, I thought he could keep improving that part of his game,” explained Manna.

“McTominay has become a complete player under the coach, as he was ready in terms of maturity, but needed to be more central to the team, and also worked with the coach tactically in training to become the player we see today.

“All the focus on Scott is pleasing, he is very happy in Naples too. The progress made by so many players here has been remarkable, including players who were part of the first Scudetto like Di Lorenzo, Politano, Lobotka, Olivera and Meret, who are still protagonists.”

NAPLES, ITALY – APRIL 27: Scott McTominay of Napoli celebrates after scoring his sides first goal during the Serie A match between Napoli and Torino at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona on April 27, 2025 in Naples, Italy. (Photo by Francesco Pecoraro/Getty Images)

Manna tellingly referred to the victory under Luciano Spalletti in 2023 as ‘the first Scudetto,’ even though it was the club’s third overall, so he is already looking towards another triumph this summer.

“This dream we are embracing is thanks to the growth of these lads. There are four rounds to go, every game is worth a great deal. We always said we wanted to reach the end still with this dream, that’s what we have done. Now we need the same hunger and determination as the previous games,” concluded Manna.