Paolo Di Canio Shares The Worrying Thing He Noticed About Scott McTominay In Napoli Loss To Benfica
The former Napoli man was concerned over McTominay's display.
Giuseppe Labellarte
Updated on 11 December 2025
Paolo Di Canio has expressed concern over how Scott McTominay performed as Napoli lost to Benfica in the Champions League on Wednesday night.
Scott McTominay showing ‘fatigue’ in Napoli display that was ‘not like him’
McTominay has been a revelation for Napoli since his move from Manchester United in 2024.
However, he did not play well in Wednesday night’s Champions League clash at Benfica’s Estadio da Luz.
McTominay, usually one of Antonio Conte’s most consistent performers, had a hand in both of Benfica’s goals.
Richard Rios’ opener resulted from a rebound involving McTominay and Benfica striker Filip Ivanovic.
The Scotland international also failed to track his man before Leandro Barreiro doubled the hosts’ lead.
Di Canio, one of the pundits covering the game on Sky Sport Italia, claimed McTominay is showing signs of mental fatigue.
“The perfect example of (Napoli’s) mental and physical fatigue is in McTominay’s attitude on those two goals,” said Di Canio.
“On the first one, he doesn’t even jump, like someone who’s scared, when normally he’s a beast.
“In those two reads there, if you look, on the first goal he concedes he does that little hop you see from players who are afraid – and that’s not like him.
“He’s timid, he plays it straight into the opponent, and it turns into an assist for the Benfica player.
“On the second goal, they drag him out, long ball, they target that area: the ball reaches his man before he does, he brings it down and then squares it for the goal.”
As the replay went on, Di Canio added: “He’s late. Again here he arrives doing that little hop; if you look closely – and we can see it – that’s not like him.”
“It shows you that he’s tired more in his head than in his legs: it’s mental rather than physical.”
What the Italian media said about Scott McTominay’s display
Jose Mourinho praised McTominay after the game for how well he is doing for himself.
And while there’s no denying McTominay has been a revelation for the Partenopei, he endured a rare off-day in Lisbon.
The Italian press picked up on this too.
Gazzetta dello Sport said McTominay “constantly forced to chase” as part of a weary Napoli side, who were “exhausted, lacking pace and ideas”.
They also wrote: “McTominay, usually the driving force, is his own double.”
Meanwhile, Corriere dello Sport wrote: “The protagonist is accustomed to being on the cover, but for different reasons.”
They noted how McTominay “timidly leaps into the box, without rising with his usual vehemence and physical prowess”, before being involved in Rios’ opening goal.
For the second goal, McTominay was “chasing” Rios before his assist doubled the scoreline.
Napoli’s demanding fixture list is surely playing a part in their current issues. This is something Conte, his coaches and the players themselves need to put right.
Giuseppe Labellarte
Giuseppe Labellarte is a sports journalist with over a decade of professional experience in the industry. His main professional expertise is in soccer. Prior to joining FootItalia, he worked for the likes of Sports Mole, TBR Football, the Chelsea Chronicle and numerous other sites, along with having bylines in the likes of the Nottingham Post. He holds degrees in Journalism and International Relations.
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