McTominay scores twice against Bodø/Glimt and stands up for De Bruyne

Scott McTominay scored twice, hit the crossbar and celebrated with the ball stuffed under his shirt as Napoli beat Bodø/Glimt in the Champions League on Tuesday 20 October. Afterwards he spoke like a dressing-room leader, and the first person he defended was Kevin De Bruyne.

Those words were deliberate. De Bruyne has been under fire. After his two goals against Frosinone on 10 October, he went missing against Villarreal and Venezia. In Venice, Stankovic saved his 68th-minute penalty that could have brought Napoli level. Meanwhile, unconfirmed rumours spread of unrest at Castel Volturno (the training ground) involving him and Anguissa.

On Tuesday, McTominay's first goal, for 2-1 in the 41st minute, came from a De Bruyne assist. Politano set up his second in the 75th. That was the Scot's answer to talk of a divided squad.

The fitness question

McTominay had surgery for an arrhythmia on 8 September and was only cleared to play again on 8 October. Before the game, head coach Allegri said that "Anguissa and McTominay are not yet at 100%". The midfielder agreed, in his own way: "The point is to work, that's all. We've made a huge change. Goals give you strength, I've started a programme to get back to my best physically."

The ball-under-the-shirt celebration usually means happy news in the family. He would not say more than this: "It's something beautiful."

Suffering is not entertainment

On this point we disagree with him. Asked about how much Napoli had suffered, McTominay said: "It was a nice game to watch for the fans." Maybe if you were watching from Oslo.

At the Maradona, Bodø/Glimt came back twice, through Hauge in the 27th minute and Helmersen in the 62nd. Then Fet scored their third in the 90th, when the game seemed over after Bjørtuft's own goal in the 88th. In his post-match comments, Allegri himself called the team "fragile" when defending in its own half. Calling it entertainment is a polite way of not saying that this Napoli cannot hold on to a lead.

The second half of his answer was more honest.

"We'll look tomorrow at where we went wrong to try to do better. The important thing is to take home the three points."

The three points came, and they are Napoli's first in this Champions League campaign. Beyond that, the list of mistakes to review is long, and it is not just about the defence. Every time this team goes ahead, it seems to think the job is done.

That leaves a question that sounds like bar talk but is a serious one. McTominay was the best player on the pitch. He is under contract until 2028, and Manna has confirmed he wants to stay. If even he still needs a programme to get back to full fitness, how good is this midfield when he is not at his best? And how long will McTominay's defence of De Bruyne stand up if the Belgian goes missing again on Saturday?

The answer comes on Saturday 24 October, when Gasperini's Roma visit the Maradona at 18:00 CET (17:00 UK, 12:00 ET). Roma are third on 17 points, seven ahead of Napoli, and come into the game after a 4-0 win over Slovan Bratislava. It is the second match the club has linked to Allegri's future.

Napoli won against Bodø/Glimt. Against Roma, a game that is "nice to watch" with three goals conceded will not be enough.