The Italian media have shared their thoughts on Scott McTominay's latest performance for Napoli in the Champions League
Scott McTominay of Napoli
Scott McTominay has faced criticism for his latest Napoli display(Image: Miguel Lemos/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
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Former Manchester United star Scott McTominay did not enjoy his reunion with Jose Mourinho on Wednesday night. The Napoli midfielder saw his side lose 2-0 to Benfica in Lisbon, damaging the Italian club’s hopes of progressing in the Champions League.
McTominay has been a standout player for Antonio Conte’s side since leaving Old Trafford in 2024. However, he was unable to reach his usual standards as the reigning Serie A champions fell to their third consecutive away loss in European competition.
Napoli boss Antonio Conte bemoaned the quick turnaround from his team’s win over Juventus on Sunday, with Benfica having played two days earlier. However, Mourinho slammed his opposite number’s argument after the game.
“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.”
The result leaves Napoli in 23rd place, just inside the play-off spots, with Benfica a point behind. Here is how Italian media reacted to McTominay’s performance against his former United boss.
Antonio Conte and Jose Mourinho
Antonio Conte and Jose Mourinho had different perspectives on the game
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Gazzetta dello Sport
Italian publication Gazzetta dello Sport explained how McTominay had played a part in both of Benfica’s goals. Richard Rios’ opener came from a rebound between McTominay and Benfica forward Ivanovic, while he also was unable to close down his man before Leandro Barreiro doubled their lead.
The Scotland international was “constantly forced to chase” as part of a fatigued Napoli side, who were “exhausted, lacking pace and ideas”. The blame was partially put down to the team’s less favourable schedule.
However, the match report gave a damning verdict of McTominay and United loanee Rasmus Hojlund’s performance: “So McTominay, usually the driving force, is his own double, and Hojlund, the Old Lady's killer, is never seen.”
Scott McTominay of Napoli
The Italian media described the Napoli team as being fatigued (Image: Torbjorn Tande/DeFodi Images/DeFodi via Getty Images)
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Corriere dello Sport
The match report from Corriere dello Sport also highlighted McTominay’s defensive weaknesses during the game. It read: “The protagonist is accustomed to being on the cover, but for different reasons.”
It was said that the former United star “timidly leaps into the box, without rising with his usual vehemence and physical prowess”, before ending up with Rios for the opening goal. For the second, McTominay was “chasing” Rios before his assist to double the scoreline.
Summing up Napoli’s tired performance, the match report said: “Batteries were too low, there was little will to fight, and there was little hunger.” In terms of McTominay’s contributions, Corriere dello Sport stated that “the Scotsman was never seen, nor was Napoli”.