Conte: ‘Napoli got it right choosing McTominay’ | OneFootball

Antonio Conte insists Napoli deserved to score far more goals in their 1-0 victory away to Torino, but the club ‘got it right’ choosing to invest in Scott McTominay.

The Partenopei were feeling the pressure, knowing there was a gaggle of four teams crammed just one point behind them in the table going into this weekend.

Despite having numerous scoring opportunities, a McTominay strike proved sufficient to break Torino away from home, as Vanja Milinkovic-Savic made several big saves.

“In every game, you have to pay attention to the details,” Conte told DAZN.

“I saw that their changes could cause us a few problems, so I wanted us to lock down the result and stay comfortable, because when it’s 1-0 then anything can happen. I am happy with the result and the performance, because Torino are never easy to face, especially not on their own turf with this atmosphere.

“Torino are a fine team and Paolo Vanoli is doing a great job. It also has to be said that their goalkeeper was excellent today, he made some remarkable saves.”

Conte glad to see solid Napoli

epa11751724 Napoli’s Scott McTominay celebrates after scoring the 1-0 lead during the Italian Serie A soccer match Torino FC vs SSC Napoli at the Olimpico Grande Torino Stadium in Turin, Italy, 01 December 2024. EPA-EFE/Alessandro Di Marco

Napoli are notching up a series of clean sheets this season that are the backbone of their success, especially as there are not many goals coming from their strikers.

“I think we attacked them with a lot of determination today and only their goalkeeper prevented us from scoring several more goals,” insisted Conte.

“We are working on this and I am very happy. It’s inevitable you need to have a solid team if you want to qualify for Europe.”

Despite being top of the table, Conte continues to only refer to Napoli’s ambition as securing a top four finish in Serie A this season.

McTominay was on target again and has been their best signing of the summer from Manchester United. Conte was asked if the Scotland international was specifically requested as the key to his ideas for Napoli.

“I accepted Napoli because it is a great club, I did not set any conditions for my arrival,” replied the coach.

“It is inevitable though that if they ask me to reinforce the squad, I try to pick the best players. We did well with Scott because he was not a starter at Manchester United, but I already knew him very well and we worked under the radar to bring him here.

“Of course everyone is eager to prove themselves and I am glad that we got it right choosing McTominay.”