New Neres injury forces Napoli to reconsider tactical transformation to 3-5-2

The season may already be over for Napoli winger David Neres after medical tests on his injury, presenting Antonio Conte with a tactical dilemma.

The winger sustained an injury to his soleus muscle just minutes before a press conference on Friday, which Conte later revealed had prompted his furious rant against the club.

He felt that the repeated soleus issues were caused by the state of the training pitches at the Castel Volturno ground, and today’s news will not help matters.

A statement from Napoli confirmed tests showed a lesion to the soleus muscle in his left leg, which Sky Sport Italia report could mean a month out of action.

A different Napoli without David Neres

When Neres had been out injured before, Conte switched to a 3-5-2 formation, going back to 4-3-3 when the Brazilian winger recovered.

Now that it is another long-term absence, the coach must decide whether to transform his system again or not in the final push for the Scudetto.

Napoli and Inter are joint top of the Serie A table going into the final five rounds of the season.