Scott McTominay failed to have the desired impact as Napoli suffered a 3-0 drubbing by rivals Juventus
Scott McTominay’s most recent Napoli performance has been described as “invisible” and “fatigued” following a 3-0 defeat by Juventus. The Scottish midfielder, who left Manchester United in the summer of 2024, played the full 90 minutes of Napoli’s crucial away trip to the Allianz Stadium on Sunday.
Luciano Spalletti’s Juventus dominated the reigning Serie A champions with a statement 3-0 victory on the night. Jonathan David gave the home side the lead in the 22nd minute before Kenan Yildiz and Filip Kostic put the game out of sight late on. Napoli, meanwhile, only registered one shot on target.
The likes of McTominay and Rasmus Hojlund were unable to make things happen for an injury-hit Napoli side, who dropped to fourth place in the table in a major blow to their title hopes, while league leaders Inter Milan are now nine points in front.
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The Italian media’s assessment of McTominay’s individual performance marked quite a significant shift in tone compared to the “Super McTominay” headlines they ran with earlier this season. Instead, they focused on how the former United midfielder was neutralised by a superior Juve midfield.
Eurosport Italy summed that up by pointing out how the Scot lost a spiky midfield battle against Khephren Thuram, while handing him a match rating of 5.5/10. They wrote: “He acts like a leader and does it admirably, but his batteries are low. His energy is close to zero, and this forces him to force plays and shots.”
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Il Messaggero raised the same point, giving him a rating of 6 as they wrote: “A couple of his own bursts but too inconsistent, struggling against Manuel Locatelli and Thuram.” Corriere della Sera handed the 29-year-old a 5/10, saying: “He had no license to advance. That way he gets lost.”
Italy’s famous pink newspaper, Gazzetta dello Sport, dished out a similar 5.5/10 rating, again noting that McTominay looked “fatigued” and lacked the usual verticality that has made him a revelation in Serie A. They stated he was “constantly forced to chase” and that Manuel Locatelli and Thuram “never gave him room to manoeuvre.”
Unlike his earlier performances, where he was described as “physically devastating,” Gazzetta suggested he looked like “a shadow of the player who dominated the autumn.”
Rome-based daily Corriere dello Sport, which previously called him the “Prime Minister of Naples,” was unforgiving. They focused on his tactical struggles, stating that he “lost the battle of the shadows” against Thuram.
Their match report assigned him a rating of 5/10 and mentioned: “The protagonist who is accustomed to being on the cover was invisible for the wrong reasons. He struggled to find his positioning in the 3-4-3 and was often caught between two minds, neither protecting the defence nor supporting Hojlund.”
Tuttosport gave McTominay a 5.5/10. The Turin-based outlet highlighted that while McTominay never stopped running, his impact was minimal. They mentioned, “The Scot’s engine seemed to be running on fumes,” perhaps a result of the heavy fixture load Antonio Conte has placed on him.
They also pointed out his usual “game-breaking” runs into the box were completely snuffed out by the discipline of the Juventus backline. That all led to him being “outclassed” by Thuram and Locatelli.
Calcio Mercato issued a 5/10 rating. The site that once compared him to Diego Maradona and Edinson Cavani was brutally honest, stating, “McTominay’s magic has hit a wall.” They argued that Spalletti had “found the antidote” to McTominay by assigning Thuram to shadow him for 90 minutes.
McTominay, crowned the Serie A Player of the Year and MVP last year, is undoubtedly facing his first true period of difficulty since arriving in Italy. Manager Conte will need to get the best out of his exhausted star player quickly if Napoli are to salvage their season.
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