Conte Likely to Switch Scheme Due to Napoli Absences | OneFootball

Antonio Conte is ready to go back to the scheme with which Napoli started the season, 3-5-2, to better cope with David Neres being unavailable. The Partenopei have had great success with 4-3-3, but Giacomo Raspadori, who’s top of the queue to replace the Brazilian speedster, is more of a second striker than a winger.

According to Il Mattino, the coach has been rehearsing their past scheme in training in recent days. The return of Alessandro Buongiorno helps a lot in that sense. He was already likely to get the nod after spending two matches on the bench after recovering from a back fracture. The former Torino star allows the coach to field a sturdy three-man backline since Juan Jesus has been okay after a poor start.

Conte and Napoli are without two more regulars, Mathias Olivera and Leonardo Spinazzola. They are on the mend with muscular injuries. With 3-5-2, the gaffer will either ask Matteo Politano to play in a more defensive role. Otherwise, he could field Giovanni Di Lorenzo and Pasquale Mazzocchi on the wings. The Partenopei are coming off back-to-back draws. Their lead over Inter is just one point now.

Our Take on Napoli, Conte, and the Scheme

Noah Okafor really mustn’t be ready to start if he’s not in consideration. He’d be the most natural solution. Granted that they getting sparse opportunities, Raspadori is their only reserve who has done anything of note so far this season. It wouldn’t be a big sacrifice for Politano, as he already tracks back a lot. Plus, it wouldn’t be a seismic shift, as they could easily go back to 4-3-3 with the same men, with Jesus as a conservative fullback.