Serie A: Napoli Coach Conte Hails McTominay's Quality After Torino Win

Napoli coach Antonio Conte praised Scott McTominay's quality after the midfielder scored the winner in a 1-0 victory over Torino, keeping Napoli top of Serie A.

Napoli coach Antonio Conte expressed his satisfaction with his team's response to his call for improvement, as they secured a 1-0 victory over Torino in Serie A on Sunday. This win helped Napoli maintain their position at the top of the standings, despite having dropped points in recent matches. Conte's side had previously suffered a 3-0 home loss to Atalanta and a 1-1 draw at Inter Milan earlier in November.

“I have a group of guys who really understand when I ask them to improve. This is the aspect I like the most, beyond the result and the standings,” Conte told a press conference.

“We are growing as individuals and as a team.

“Torino are a great team, I was really afraid of this game. I lived in Turin for more than thirty years, I warned the guys, (and got) a mature response.”

However, Napoli got back on track last weekend with a hard-fought 1-0 home win over AS Roma, and they maintained their momentum with the same scoreline against Torino. Conte was pleased to see his team's response to his plea for improvement, and the consecutive wins have helped Napoli regain their footing in the league.

“Sometimes you take refuge in the result, today we created but there was a great goalkeeper who prevented us from being more relaxed at the end,” added Conte.

The decisive moment in Napoli's 1-0 victory over Torino came in the 31st minute, when midfielder Scott McTominay unleashed a powerful shot that found its way past the Torino goalkeeper and into the near post.

Napoli coach Antonio Conte was full of praise for McTominay, who has been an impressive addition to the team. “He is a boy who was not a protagonist at (Manchester) United. I knew him well because I frequented the Premier League, he has quality,” Conte said. The Italian coach also expressed his gratitude that McTominay chose to join Napoli, despite the team's lack of European competition and their 10th-place finish last season. “We were lucky because he agreed to come in a situation in which we were not playing in Europe, having finished in 10th place. He could have seen Napoli as a demotion, instead he came to be a protagonist.”

Despite his satisfaction with the win and Napoli's growing form, Conte emphasized the need for reinforcements if the team is to sustain their success and return to European competition next season. The Italian coach is keenly aware that Napoli's current squad may not be equipped to handle the demands of European football, and he is already planning for the future.

“Looking at the other teams, how they've equipped themselves also in view of the commitments in Europe, and if we were to be good at getting into Europe, you will have to strengthen this squad. The president must know that,” Conte added.

“Today we have 21 outfield players and we have done what a team that only plays in the league and the Italian Cup does.”