Conte: McTominay’s ‘status has changed’ I have ‘total confidence’ in Gilmour

Antonio Conte admits Scott McTominay’s status ‘has changed’ as he receives ‘completely different attention’ from opponents, but is confident that Billy Gilmour has what it takes to replace Stanislav Lobotka.

Napoli visit Torino tomorrow, Saturday, October 18, and Conte previewed the game at a press conference on Friday.

One of the talking points during the break concerned the efficiency of McTominay, which appears to have decreased, possibly for tactical reasons, as the Scot was moved towards the left flank to make room for Kevin De Bruyne in central midfield.

“It’s very simple, his status has changed,” Conte said at a press conference via TuttoNapoli.

“He was the best player in the league last season. When he arrived, he wasn’t being used much at Manchester United. He came in as an underdog with something to prove. Now his status is different and the attention he receives, even from opponents preparing to face him, is completely different. He’s seen in a new light now. It’s as simple as that. Last year, he adapted to everything, playing with two strikers, 4-3-3, but now opponents look at him differently, and naturally, they make tactical adjustments to contain him.”

Alessandro Buongiorno, a former Torino captain, and Matteo Politano trained with the rest of the group over the last few days, so they’ll be available for the trip to Turin.

“Buongiorno has returned to full training; he’s already done three or four sessions with us and has recovered. Politano is back with the group,” Conte said.

“Amir [Rrahmani] is progressing well in the recovery phase. Things are going quite smoothly. Lobotka has also begun his recovery process. The goal now is to see how we respond to playing seven matches in 22 days. It’s inevitable, there will be a lot of physical exertion, so we’ll need to rotate the squad and rely on everyone. We’re curious to see what kind of response they’ll give.”

Lobotka, on the other hand, will be forced out of action, and Conte seems to have already decided to replace him with Scotland international Gilmour.

“Last year, early on, Lobotka had a problem, and Gilmour replaced him excellently,” said Conte.

“I have total confidence in the boy. Whenever he’s been called upon, he’s always stepped up, including at the end of last season. His skill sets perfectly match those of Lobotka, which is exactly why we signed him. There wasn’t really a proper backup for Lobotka; finding another like him is very difficult. The others have different qualities; they are not natural playmakers, so, if needed, we’d have to adapt someone else. Hopefully, it won’t come to that.”

With a busy fixture list ahead, Conte will have to rotate his squad, especially in attack.

“Neres is a player I already know well. He doesn’t have to prove anything to me. Last year, he contributed significantly to winning the Scudetto,” he concluded.

“Noa [Lang] is working hard, adapting and trying to understand what we expect from him, both in terms of individual plays and collective participation. He’s a hard-working guy and will definitely have chances. What matters is to keep working seriously as they’re all doing, and to have patience, which I also need to have, not just the players.”