Napoli’s head coach, Rudi Garcia has addressed Victor Osimhen’s performance during the club’s disappointing home defeat to Lazio on Saturday night, Soccernet.ng reports.
Garcia is critical of Osimhen’s display, especially in the second half, as Napoli succumbed to their first league loss of the campaign.
Osimhen failed to score as Napoli suffered a 1-2 defeat at the hands of Lazio at the Diego Maradona Stadium.
Critics, primarily from a section of the Italian media, have questioned Osimhen’s contribution in the encounter.
However, statistical analysis tells a different story. Sofascore rated Osimhen as Napoli’s second-best player against Lazio.
Nevertheless, Napoli’s manager, Garcia, opted to express his dissatisfaction with Osimhen’s second-half performance.
While acknowledging Osimhen’s first-half efforts, Garcia highlighted his disappointment in the Nigerian forward’s display after the break.
Garcia stated (as per Tutto Napoli), “He (Osimhen) also dropped off in the second half, in the first he didn’t have any sensational opportunities.
“He is always a burden for the opposing defense, he creates spaces for others. We had opportunities, ambitions, and we were aggressive. But in the second half, none of my players were up to the team’s standards.”
This critique is not the first of its kind from Garcia, who has previously expressed concerns about Osimhen’s output.
Despite being Serie A’s most valuable player, the 24-year-old striker has work to do to convince Garcia of his elite-quality status.
Osimhen was the top goalscorer in the Italian top flight last season and has already notched three goals in three league games this season.
Source: Read more at arise.tv
Quadri Olaitan is a journalist and contributor to Freelanews.com, covering news, public affairs, and human-interest stories.
