New Delhi: In Sunday’s 1-1 home draw against Udinese, Napoli stars Scott McTominay and André-Frank Zambo Anguissa were worn out, according to La Gazzetta dello Sport, indicating that Antonio Conte would have required suitable substitutes for the midfield duo. However, there were further problems for the Gli Azzuri, when Inter managed to beat Fiorentina which meant they are now breathing down Napoli’s neck with just one point gap between them.
The 1-1 draw the previous day indicated growing exhaustion in some of Napoli’s key players, particularly midfielders Zambo Anguissa and McTominay. Although the Scotland international scored in the first half, he squandered a good opportunity after the interval because he wasn’t as accurate with the ball at his feet as usual. In his 21 Serie A games, the former Manchester United midfielder had six goals and four assists. Additionally, he has participated in two Coppa Italia games and scored one goal.
Exhaustion might be a factor behind Napoli’s potential slip-up
Scott McTominay has scored six Serie A goals for Napoli this season.
The same number as Man United’s Premier League top scorer 😮 pic.twitter.com/XI2jGFKkbA
— ESPN UK (@ESPNUK) February 10, 2025
McTominay has made 27 appearances overall, scoring seven goals in all competitions. With 1795 minutes this season, McTominay is one of the Napoli players with the most minutes played. The only people with more are Giovanni Di Lorenzo (2160), Amir Rrahmani, Anguissa (2113), and Alex Meret (1836). Napoli’s lack of depth in central midfield, particularly the lack of McTominay and Anguissa replacements, could be expensive in the title battle, according to Gazzetta.
This is particularly relevant given that in less than a month the club will play their immediate rivals, Inter. Their squad involves just five midfielders who can actually fulfil the central midfield role, with the likes of new Stanislav Lobotka, Billy Gilmour and new signing Philip Billing being the only ones apart from the main duo of McTominay and Anguissa. This suggests that Napoli have not had a good transfer window whatsoever. The midfield area is slowly becoming a big issue for Antonio Conte as reinforcements were very much needed in this transfer window.
Napoli’s hopes of winning their second Scudetto in the past three seasons might be facing a major threat due to a few key factors. Football Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
