The Italian media have given their thoughts on Scott McTominay’s display for Napoli in the Champions League
Former Manchester United midfielder Scott McTominay endured a difficult reunion with Jose Mourinho on Wednesday night. The Napoli star watched his team suffer a 2-0 defeat to Benfica in Lisbon, dealing a significant blow to the Italian side’s Champions League hopes.
Since departing Old Trafford in 2024, McTominay has been one of Antonio Conte’s most impressive performers. Yet he struggled to replicate his typical form as the reigning Serie A champions suffered their third successive European away defeat.
Napoli manager Antonio Conte criticised the short recovery time following his team’s victory over Juventus on Sunday, pointing out that Benfica had enjoyed an extra two days’ rest. However, Mourinho dismissed Conte’s argument after the final whistle.
“Saying Benfica were fresher physically feels like an excuse,” he said. “We interpreted the game well, I decided to play Ivanovic rather than Pavlidis upfront and that changed the way we attack.”
Mourinho added: “The players showed character and intelligence, a Benfica mentality, which means when you are having the biggest difficulty, you step up. We knew that without a win here, we were out, but now that we have six points, we’re in the running.”
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The outcome leaves Napoli 23rd, narrowly within the play-off places, while Benfica trail by a point. Italian media have offered their verdicts on McTominay’s display against his former United manager.
Gazzetta dello Sport
Italian publication Gazzetta dello Sport detailed how McTominay had contributed to both of Benfica’s goals. Richard Rios’ opener resulted from a rebound involving McTominay and Benfica striker Ivanovic, while he also failed to track his man before Leandro Barreiro made it 2-0.
The Scotland international was “constantly forced to chase” as part of a weary Napoli side, who were “exhausted, lacking pace and ideas”. The criticism was partly attributed to the team’s demanding fixture list.
However, the match report delivered a scathing assessment of McTominay and United loanee Rasmus Hojlund’s display: “So McTominay, usually the driving force, is his own double, and Hojlund, the Old Lady’s killer, is never seen.”
Corriere dello Sport
The match report from Corriere dello Sport also emphasised McTominay’s defensive frailties during the match. It read: “The protagonist is accustomed to being on the cover, but for different reasons.”
It was noted that the former United midfielder “timidly leaps into the box, without rising with his usual vehemence and physical prowess”, before being involved in Rios’ opening goal. For the second strike, McTominay was “chasing” Rios before his assist doubled the scoreline.
Summarising Napoli’s lacklustre showing, the match report said: “Batteries were too low, there was little will to fight, and there was little hunger.”
Regarding McTominay’s impact, Corriere dello Sport stated that “the Scotsman was never seen, nor was Napoli”.
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