Conte: The motivation for any team to play Napoli is 100%, McTominay will be targeted by opponents

October 18th Before Naples’ away game against Turin, head coach Conte attended a press conference. He talked about the team’s injury situation, tactical system, and views on the game against Turin.

How is the team doing after the national team match day? There will be a very intensive schedule ahead.

The international players are all back, and most of them have played two games, so when they come back, we have to adjust the training well to reintegrate. In terms of injuries, Buongiorno has returned to the team for three or four days of training, as has Politano. Rahmani's recovery is progressing well, and Lobotka has also begun his recovery process. The goal is to see how the team reacts after playing seven games in 22 days. Inevitably, there will be a huge energy drain and we will have to rotate. Everyone will be needed and we'll be interested to see how the team responds.

How would you define your team's tactical system?

The formation is always 4-3-3, which can be a traditional model with two wingers or an atypical model with an additional midfielder. It is difficult to define a tactical system in both offensive and defensive phases, because the situation in the offensive and off-ball phases changes frequently. Nonetheless, we have a clear way of playing in both formats (four midfielders or two wingers) and we will always stick to it. We have no other solution. The team has been built around these situations and we have two clear ways of playing and will continue to do so moving forward.

What do you think of this match against Torino?

Not only Turin, but any team when facing Naples is facing the Italian champion. The opponent's motivation will be 1000%, everyone wants to perform extraordinary. Tomorrow's game will be difficult. I have lived in Turin and know the environment there, I often go to their games. They have a great history, tradition, a great team and a great coach (Baroni). Last season, Lazio under Baroni was our nemesis. But tomorrow will be another game.

What do you think about the intensive schedule and the increase in injuries?

It would be interesting to do a European-wide statistics to see the proportion of injuries. The more games you play, the greater the risk of injury. The more games you play, the less time you spend training, which can lead to muscle damage. People complain a lot, but it's a vicious cycle. That's why a huge roster needs to be built.

What is the situation with Neres and Noah Long?

Neres doesn't need to prove anything to me, he made a huge contribution to the league title last season. Noah Long is working really hard and adapting to understand what we're asking of him. He's committed and will definitely get his chance. We need to keep working hard and be patient, and I have to be patient too (laughs).

If Lobotka is unable to play, is Gilmore a reliable replacement?

Lobotka had problems at the beginning of last season and Gilmore did an excellent job replacing him. I have complete trust in him and he always steps up. He has the same characteristics as Lobotka and that's why we signed him in the first place. It's hard to find another player like that on this team because everyone else has different characteristics and isn't a true playmaker. I hope that doesn't happen, but if it does, we'll have to adapt other players to adapt.

Finally, regarding McTominay, he seems to have encountered difficulties.

The discussion about McTominay is simple, his status has changed. He went from a player who didn't get a chance at (Manchester United) to the best player in the league. When you change your position, your opponents will pay completely different attention to you during the game. Inevitably, he will be viewed differently. It's not a question of adaptation, last season he adapted to everything.