Napoli, McTominay: "Tough with ten men, but we accept defeat and move on" | OneFootball

After the defeat at the Etihad Stadium against Manchester City, Napoli's midfielder, Scott McTominay, commented on the team's performance in an interview with CBS Sports, highlighting the group's resilience and unity.

Napoli, McTominay: “Tough with ten, but we accept the defeat and move on”

“It was difficult, but we were compact and resilient,” McTominay explained. “We knew we had to be as organized as possible and do everything we could to stop City, while also trying to be dangerous going forward. When you run that much, it's hard to maintain the same threat on the other side. They have great players, we accept the defeat and move on.”

The midfielder also commented on the difficulty of playing with a numerical disadvantage: “Being down to ten is really tough. But that's football: you have to hold on and do your best against a team like City, which is already challenging even with eleven.”

Returning to Manchester and the bond with Italy

McTominay spoke about his emotional connection with the city and with Italy: “It was nice to return to Manchester. It will always be home for me. I love Italy and the people who live there.”

The relationship with Conte

Words of great esteem also for Antonio Conte: “Conte is an extraordinary coach and someone I admire a lot. I worked with him for a year and he had a real influence on my career. I am truly grateful to him for every opportunity he gave me.”

Challenges and future prospects

On the tactical front, McTominay explained the difficulties faced against players like Foden and Doku: “Chasing the ball against City is very complicated. You have to close spaces and limit access to their players. It's not easy.”

Finally, he spoke about his journey in Serie A and the mentality needed to grow: “For me, it's about mentality and daily work. I always want to improve. Last year was an incredible season, but great professionals need to repeat themselves. Now I just focus on continuing down that path.”

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇮🇹 here.