Victor Osimhen has scored seventeen goals in his time so far in the Serie A and none of them has come against any of the traditional top Italian club sides.
The Super Eagles attacker adds a different level of quality to the Napoli attack and his return from a facial injury in November has breathed life back into the Neapolitans’ push for the Serie A title.
Later on Sunday, Napoli will host Milan at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium, with Osimhen hoping to end his dry spell at home.
The former Lille attacker last scored in front of Napoli home fans on the 21st of October against Legia Warsaw in the Europa League. His last league goal at home was against Torino on the 17th of October in a game Napoli scored for the eighth time in a row.
Since Osimhen’s return from injury, he has scored vital goals against Cagliari and Venezia, powering Napoli to the Seria summit, tied with Milan on points but leading with superior goals difference.
Napoli and Milan have 57 points apiece and have both won 17, drawn 6 and lost 4 of their 27 games this season.
While Osimhen is a known element on his day in the league and is revered as one of the best attackers in the Serie A, his dry goals return against the biggest sides has been a source of worry. His efforts, however, have been seen as a positive.
His facial injury was sustained in a big game against Inter Milan on the 21st of November and he was out for ten weeks. He was however fit for the return leg in February where he won a penalty converted by Napoli captain, Lorenzo Insigne.
Osimhen has scored seven goals and three assists in seventeen league games this season and is backed to buck his dry trend against the big sides against Milan.
His struggles against the top sides may be attributed to different reasons, including his somewhat excessive desire to impress.
In different games this season, he’s been caught many times in the offside position, making those runs a little earlier than normal. This may be a result of his burning want for a goal against these traditional sides.
The cast behind him must also play more to him and not around him if he stands a chance of getting a goal against these better defences. He’s more than often been a leeway to the net than the target man himself. This has worked wonders as Napoli have suffered this season when he doesn’t play.
The team however must help the player lift his confidence if they want to continue to make the most of him.
