Napoli, the background to the return to 4-3-3: the key role of the absent McTominay

Naples, 1 April 2025 - Two weeks of long pause spent pondering Which module to choose between 3-5-2 in force in the last few months, those of the accident emergency, and that 4-3-3 which instead had made the fortunes of Napoli in the first part of the season before opting, surprisingly and at least in the initial plans, for the 4-4-2, in order to protect the front tandem composed of Romelu Lukaku e James Raspadori. Then the setback that upsets all the plans of Antonio Conte, the commander at the helm of the blue ship obviously responsible for making the most delicate decisions: Scott McTominay, not exactly someone you give up lightly, he just gives up against Milan due to a seasonal illness. At this point the coach puts the last experiments in the cellar, thus also giving up the two strikers and, above all, a Breakers in a state of grace in recent times, and returns to the safe used, that 4-3-3 which immediately repays him to the maximum: the Napoli wins and convinces, especially in the first half, and stays in the wake of theInter thanks to his old (and rediscovered) certainties.  

Conte's changes of formation

  In the end, in football, only the results dictate the law: who knows what would have been said and written about the Sunday evening match if, for example, Santiago Jimenez had scored the penalty which, combined with the subsequent effective goal of Luka Jovic, could have evened the score. Thanks to Alex Meret, but perhaps more than anything else due to the Mexican's fault, all this did not happen and therefore every decision made by the commander was right, who next Monday will visit the From the Ara di Bologna due to disqualification. No big deal for the Azzurri, who after months of hard work and many difficulties will have learned to walk, especially for just one night, without their leader, as well as supporter of the 3-5-2. Yet, in the shadow of Vesuvius, Tale he had immediately demonstrated great intelligence and sagacity, adapting to the intrinsic qualities of a team that had been shaped for decades under the 4-3-3: a mental flexibility that not all coaches demonstrate. It is no coincidence that, with the same module that also won the championship, the Napoli had reached the top of the charts, occupying it for 18 consecutive turns, also stringing together the beauty of 7 wins in a row. At that stage there was a first hole on theInter had been dug, leaving everyone with the feeling that the Azzurri could have repeated what happened two years ago, with a championship won well in advance and with an abysmal margin over the others. This time the game doesn't work, between the injury emergency and some choices made in the January market that seem to weaken the bands, precisely the hot areas of the 4-3-3. So Tale come back 'home', to that 3-5-2 which in theory should provide more defensive solidity but which instead turns out to be the exact opposite. Napoli scores more, true, but also concedes more goals and is overtaken first byInter and then the extension of the same, for thatthe 3 points of gaps still standing which represent at the same time a large but also small loot. The break to leave space for the National, often reviled at every latitude and even more so in the capital of Campania, instead fits perfectly, allowing Tale to work and experiment with the aim of curing the recent ills of his team. The two weeks of vacation of the championship finally give birth to a sort of compromise between the two tactical roles displayed by the Napoli this year, precisely the previous one 4-3-3 and the next 3-5-2: A 4-4-2 which would allow the pink wingers to return to grinding out kilometres along the sideline, but also to safeguard the tandem Lukaku - Raspadori which had effectively kept the Azzurri afloat when the injury tax had loomed large in the general headquarters of Castel Volturno. At least until the unexpected event that messed up the plans.

McTominay's 'role' in the victory over Milan

  McTominay, which was supposed to challenge the Milan slightly widening his range of action, he throws in the towel due to flu-like symptoms and so on Tale he is forced to return in a hurry to 4-3-3, launching battered elements from the first minute: to be precise Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa, returned battered from the expedition with his Cameroon, and David Neres, returning after more than a month and a half of injury. The gamble, in truth more forced than desired, succeeds to the point that the Napoli unlock the contest immediately thanks to Matteo Politano. The Napoli who, curiously, in the previous days of the championship had struggled to find the way to the net, showing among the many problems also the various offensive wastes. In a certain sense, the gods of football could have rewarded Tale, rewarding him for his courageous choices, even if forced by higher contingencies, and thus with minimal effort the practice Milan immediately goes on the right track before being liquidated, perhaps with a bit too much suffering at the end. The cover men, between goals scored and penalties saved, are politan, Lukaku e Meret, in addition to the usual commander on the bench, but the role of supporting actor goes entirely to McTominay, who with his defection has accelerated the process of returning to the 4-3-3 which, at this point, will likely continue in view of the match of Bologna. Ironically, the Scotsman, one of the cornerstones of this season not only in terms of offensive turnover, which today plays 7 goal e 4 assists, becomes decisive even when he does not play and, indeed, even stays at home due to force majeure. Everything will be back to normal by next Monday, the day in which the Napoli will experience a crucial turning point in terms of the championship: with which form will he decide it? Tale, starting from Sunday evening with many more certainties despite the old problems, the new ones and the last-minute setbacks that almost become an opportunity.

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