September 21 was the day of goalless draws for anyone even remotely related to Manchester United as the senior team set the tone away at Crystal Palace.
Earlier in the day, Manchester United loanee Joe Hugill’s Wigan Athletic side played out a goalless draw and Scott McTominay, the United favourite who joined Napoli, played a goalless draw away to Juventus.
It was the Scottish midfielder’s first start for Antonio Conte’s team and it couldn’t have come in a more difficult game.
McTominay is already a fan favourite in Naples, with Conte fiercely protective of him and sporting director Giovanni Manna being the same.
Conte’s team have also started trending upwards after an early hiccup at Verona and the former United man figures to be a key part of his plans.
Scott McTominay vs Juventus
Conte set out to pull one over his former team when he took Napoli to Juventus for a top-of-the-table clash.
His trust in McTominay was clear to see as he chose this game to give him his first start for the club and McTominay didn’t disappoint.
He was fielded further forward, almost as an attacking midfielder after his goalscoring exploits last season for Man United.
McTominay played the whole 90 and was a busy presence throughout, in both attack and defence. He was on target with his one shot, while he recovered the ball five times in defence.
He was safe and secure with his passing as Napoli ceded the control of the ball to Juventus, instead trying to catch them on transitions.
McTominay did his usual schtick of ghosting into the box for opportune moments but that final bit of fluidity of missing that should come with more time on the pitch with his new teammates.
Italian press on McTominay performance
The Italian league has always respected hard-working players more than anything else so it’s no surprise that he’s already a favourite there.
His display against Juventus drew rave reviews from many, with some outlets going as far as to call him an undroppable after the game.
Sport Mediaset rated him at 6.5 but gave a glowing review, lauding his “physique and technique”, with his ability to “always know what to do” a big plus.
Gazzetta said that McTominay brings exactly what was missing to Napoli’s midfield which is rhythm, initiative, and quality. Big praise was given to him as they said Napoli would “hardly be able to do without the former United player”.
Football Italia quoted Conte as saying that McTominay allowed him to change his whole tactical system as the “midfield became strong” so he abandoned his three-at-the-back setup to move to a 4-3-3.
Corriere dello Sport called him a “dominant all-rounder with physique, technique, and personality”, while Repubblica called him “a luxury for Serie A”.
Calcio Mercato went a step further, saying that Napoli fans have found themselves a “new idol” in the form of McTominay.
He can be next seen in action in Napoli’s Coppa Italia game at home to Palermo on September 26.
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