Why does Scott McTominay play so well in Napoli (and so many goals)?

It feels like a long time because Antonio Conte said that after a 3-0 defeat against Verona, his Napoli team had “melted in the sunshine” in the opening game of her series A campaign.

Now the side of Conte shines in the Neapolitan sun and sits three points ahead of Inter at the table with four remaining games.

Their excellent form mocked a pragmatic approach from Conte, which adapted the team to the strengths of the players who came at the end of the last summer.

On Deadline Day, Napoli Scott McTominay and Billy Gilmour from the Premier League acquired, one day after Romelu Lukaku joined the site to reunite with Conte and nine days after the signing of David Neres from Benfica.

The positions that Neres, Lukaku and Gilmour would take were not a question of discussion, but to get the best out of Mctominay, Conte had to change the role of the midfielder.

“When I got into the first team (in Manchester United), I was quite wrongly profiled where I played,” said Mctominay The athlete last month. “It was not the fault of coaches.

“My strengths have always got into the box, scored goals, were a problem in it, but I became No. 6 (midfielder) or as a central defender and that was never really my game. In the last few seasons I started a little more to score more goals, and then the last year was my best.”

Conte wanted to adapt to the properties of the players to “find the best fit for the team” after starting the season in one form before moving to another. “In the beginning we chose the 3-4-2-1 because this was the most suitable form for the team,” Napoli's head coach told DAZN in January.

“Then the situation changed with the arrivals of Mctominay, Romelu Lukaku and David Neres, especially at Scott.

“Before we reached the 4-3-3, we also played a 4-2-2-2 for several games, and Scott played at the front with Romelu and the wings that moved the infield.”

Conte believes that a 4-3-3 with wide wings and Mctominay brings the most advanced midfield trio (below) out of its squad.

However, there was a month of adaptation in February when Khvicha Kvaratskhelia's departure to Paris Saint-Germain and Neres' injury to compulsion to adapt his approach again.

During this time the form of attack was distorted, and Giacomo Raspadori was together with Lukaku at the front, while Mctominay from midfield and the left -back Leonardo Spinazzola occupied the wing.

McTominay's role has remained constant in all iterations of Napoli's attack this season – he is the most advanced midfielder and his main task is to be a threat in the penalty area by using late runs from the midfield to attack crosses.

The technical properties of Gilmour, Stanislav Lobotka and Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa have meant that Mctominay is not stressed to fall deeper to build up the attack and bring the ball onto the square. His role plays his strengths and does not bring him into unpleasant situations.

McTominay's impact is clear – a balance of 11 league napoli shows that games fits his profile in a more advanced position this season.

With Napolis 2-0 victory against Torino on April 27, Mctominay's first goal came from a free kick that was played briefly. Here is McTominay on the edge of the penalty area when Giovanni di Lorenzo Anguissa's run finds the box.

When Anguissa reaches the ball, Mctominay attacks the room to be in a cut position …

… but when Amir Rrahmani moves towards this zone, the Scotland midfielder immediately adjusts his run. Ramanis Movement forces Turin's defender to move and Mctominay changes direction to attack the free space.

In the meantime, Anguissa plays the ball into this room …

… and MCTominay evaluates despite his shot, which was rejected by Turin Saul Coco.

In another example, from the 1-0 victory against Monza last month, Mctominay is in the penalty area because Napoli attacks the left wing.

First of all, McTominay is in front of Monza's central central defender Luca Caldirola, with Lukaku and Matteo Politano fill the left central defender and the backrest.

When Spinazzola passes the ball to Raspadori, Mctominay adjusts his position to attack Caldirola from his blind side …

… to know that Lukaku and Politano hold the left -back and the winged back. This slight adaptation gives Mctominay an advantage over Caldirola, especially with the left side of the defense, which is unable to cover the central defender.

Raspadori then crosses the ball into the room behind Caldirola …

… and Mctominay attacks the cross to achieve the winner.

McTominay's influence on Napoli's attack goes beyond his goals because his movement in the penalty area attracts the opponents and creates space for his teammates.

In the back against Monza, Mctominay does not touch the ball in Politano's goal, but his movement is of crucial importance. Here the Legen singer tries to combine with Lukaku just to see Alessandro Bianco Intercept …

… but the ball falls in the way of Politano's run.

In the criminal area, Mctominay by Monza's right -back Armando Izzo is marked.

… and he attacks the room to offer Politano a cutback option. Due to Mctominay's movement, Monza's central central defender Pablo Mari (No. 22) and puts his body weight on his left leg …

… Politano gives more time on the ball and a better shooting angle.

Napolis Legal Singing takes the opportunity and places the ball between the goalkeeper's legs to get the start.

Politano was the beneficiary of Mctominay's gravitational education in a further victory, this time in January to Atalanta.

In this example, Alex Merets Langer Ball from Lukaku is displayed, with Mctominay being positioned to receive the ball.

McTominay then plays it far to Neres and falls forward, with Marten de Roon keeping the Scotland midfielder in mind.

While Neres carries the ball forward, Lukaku holds its position to offer a link-up option, and Mctominay moves towards the penalty area. In the meantime, Politano is running a diagonal space behind Isak Hien, which is captured by Lukaku.

Politanos Dash brings it to the perfect position when Neres dribbles towards the left wing. However, this freedom cannot be reached without Lukakus positioning and MCTominay's movement.

Napoli's center forward occupied Hien on the edge of the penalty area and forced him to be outside the position. As for McTominay, the movement of the midfielder in the direction of the long post Giorgio Scalvini prevents politano and keeps de Roon in a more central position.

Neres then finds the free politicano …

… and the law endanger smashes the ball into the roof of the network.

The use of Lukaku as a springboard to keep the game and find midfield runners is another step that adds to McTominay's ability to attack the space.

In this attack, Rrahmani from 3-0 victory against Empoli played a long ball towards Lukaku in April …

… who controls it and attracts Empoli's Central Center-Back, Luca Marianucci and midfielder Alberto Grassi. While Lukaku is trying to find a temporary option, Mctominay rises into the open space in midfield …

… preserved the ball from his center forward. At the same time, Politano's striker Run takes back to Empoli's left means, while the right central defender Neres marks.

The positioning of Napoli's wing players means that Empoli's broad central defenders cannot define the ball. In combination with the central central defender, Mctominay can dribble freely forward …

… before you hit the ball into the lower corner.

McTominay's rise in Napoli is proof of his true skills and contes adaptation to the profiles he has in his squad.

“What I want to give for the people here is the championship,” Mctominay told last month compared to the official channel of Serie A. “This is the most important thing I need in my career.

“I think about it all the time. I want to be the guy who brings us there.”

(Toptoto: Francesco Pecoraro/Getty Images)