Scott McTominay missed out against Roma. (Image: Getty Images)
Napoli returned to the pitch on Sunday evening, though injured Scott McTominay was forced to watch from the sidelines. The former Manchester United midfielder wasn’t available to steal the spotlight, as he has frequently done previously. That honour instead belonged to another player considered expendable by a Premier League team.
Donyell Malen arrived at Roma on loan from Aston Villa during the January window, and his double at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona took his tally to five strikes in five appearances for the Giallorossi. Malen put Roma ahead twice at McTominay’s Napoli, but the home side hit back through Leonardo Spinazzola – netting against his old team – and replacement Alisson Santos. Santos was making his Serie A bow, having arrived on loan from Sporting CP a mere fortnight earlier.
The draw means Napoli stay third, with Roma trailing by just three points in fourth place. Here’s the Italian press reaction following Sunday’s encounter, which finished level.
Typically, surrendering points at home against a top-four challenger would seem disappointing. Yet Il Napolista acknowledged the importance of McTominay – and not solely McTominay – being absent.
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“In the end, all’s well that ends well. Especially considering how things were going,” they wrote. “It’s worth remembering that Conte’s team played without McTominay and the final twenty minutes without [Amir] Rrahmani, who was injured and caused the penalty to make it 2-1. Napoli avoided being overtaken by Roma, who remain on three points, but it feels like four because the Azzurri are ahead in the head-to-head matches.”
With McTominay sidelined, Eljif Elmas adopted a slightly deeper role than typical, though failed to impress in Il Messagero’s assessment. “He has his usual dynamism, but struggles against [Bryan] Cristante, who does a good job of limiting him,” the publication noted.
However, star performer Malen enjoyed a contrasting evening. “Just seven minutes in, he turns the only good play from the young [Bryan] Zaragoza into gold,” they observed of the Dutch forward.
Roma’s Donyell Malen celebrates after scoring against Napoli. (Image: AP)
“Sometimes he’s too alone, but he always gives the impression of posing a threat to Napoli’s defensive trio. He almost doubles the lead after a solo effort. He was asked to score against a big team, and he didn’t hold back.”
Corriere dello Sport’s analysis highlights the extensive injury list that McTominay has now joined. “Without four key players like McTominay, [Frank] Anguissa, [Giovanni] Di Lorenzo, and [David] Neres, their identity is completely upended,” they said.
The outlet also features comments from Roma manager Gian Pieri Gasperini praising Malen’s abilities. “Malen? I’ve always been incredibly confident,” the former Atalanta boss said, implying Roma would possess “a few more points” had they secured the forward for the entire campaign.
“He has the best attributes for a striker in my opinion,” he continued. This squad requires somebody of his calibre; he frequently finds himself in threatening positions. Nevertheless, there’s always room for improvement.”
Corriere dello Sport disclosed on Sunday that Napoli are pursuing a new contract for McTominay. “[He] isn’t just the present: he’s the future,” they reported.