McTominay 'status has changed' - Conte defends Napoli midfielder's slow start

Antonio Conte insisted Scott McTominay's "status has changed", and that Napoli midfielder now receives "completely different" attention from opponents.

McTominay was named Serie A's most valuable player last season, after playing an instrumental role as the Partenopei reclaim their Scudetto crown.

However, the Scotland international is still finding his feet this term, having only registered a single goal and assist so far.

Nevertheless, that is exactly the same tally he had registered at this stage of the 2024-25 campaign, and Conte defended his midfield maestro.

"It's very simple, his status has changed," he told reporters ahead of this weekend's trip to Torino.

"He was the best player in the league last season. When he arrived, he wasn't being used much at Manchester United. He came in as an underdog with something to prove.

"Now, his status is different and the attention he receives, even from opponents preparing to face him, is completely different. He's seen in a new light now. It's as simple as that.

"Last year, he adapted to everything; playing with two strikers, 4-3-3, but now opponents look at him differently, and naturally, they make tactical adjustments to contain him."

Napoli are the early Serie A pacesetters with 15 points from their opening six matches, ahead of Roma due to a superior goal difference.

The reigning champions have been boosted by the returns of Alessandro Buongiorno and Matteo Politano, who were back in training this week after injury.

"Buongiorno has returned to full training; he's already done three or four sessions with us and has recovered. Politano is back with the group," Conte added.

"Amir [Rrahmani] is progressing well in the recovery phase. Things are going quite smoothly. [Stanislav] Lobotka has also begun his recovery process. The goal now is to see how we respond to playing seven matches in 22 days.

"It's inevitable, there will be a lot of physical exertion, so we'll need to rotate the squad and rely on everyone. We're curious to see what kind of response they'll give."

Standing in Napoli's way is a Torino side that has collected just five points from their first six games, and sit 16th in Serie A.

Marco Baroni's side have registered just a single league win thus far, but will be encouraged by the fact their opponents have lost their last two away matches in all competitions.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Torino - Giovanni Simeone

Napoli loanee Simeone could potentially play a key role in his parent club relinquishing top spot in Serie A.

The forward enjoys playing the Partenopei, too, having scored four league goals against them, including his first hat-trick in the competition in April 2018.

Napoli - Rasmus Hojlund

Hojlund is the man in form for Napoli. His six goals since the beginning of October is the joint-highest tally among players in the big five European leagues (level with Erling Haaland).

The Denmark international has scored four goals in six appearances for the reigning champions, including each of his last two.

MATCH PREDICTION - NAPOLI WIN

Napoli have avoided defeat in 19 of their last 20 Serie A matches against Torino (won 14, drawn five), scoring 40 goals during that span.

The Partenopei have also prevailed in eight of their last 10 away league games against Il Toro, keeping a clean sheet in five of the last six.

Meanwhile, Torino have conceded at least 13 goals in their first six Serie A games for only the third time in their history, after 2020-21 (16) and 1958-59 (13).

Baroni's side have now only won just one of their last 11 league games (drawn three, lost seven), failing to score in seven of them.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Torino - 21.0%
Draw - 27.2%
Napoli - 51.8%