Napoli are in a difficult phase, have big tasks ahead of them in the hot autumn – and in the worst case scenario still have to do without top scorer Victor Osimhen.
International breaks are often viewed critically by club coaches – especially when injuries occur.
This scenario has now befallen Napoli. Top scorer Victor Osimhen, last season’s Serie A top scorer with 26 goals in 32 games and this season’s top scorer again with six goals in eight appearances, is threatened with a forced break.
The Nigerian suffered a thigh injury after the break in the test match against Saudi Arabia (2:2) on Friday – substitution in the 59th minute included.
The 24-year-old, who has been absent from time to time after international matches in the past (such as a dislocated shoulder in November 2020), then had to undergo a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan this Saturday to determine the extent of the injury. The result is expected on Sunday. A team official confirmed this to the AFP news agency.
Frank words from de Laurentiis
Osimhen, who is the strike partner of Bayer Leverkusen’s new signing Victor Boniface in Nigeria, could face a longer break if the worst comes to the worst. And that at an inopportune time: After all, the reigning Scudetto holders are already seven points behind leaders Milan after the disappointing 1:3 against Florence last Sunday and have many English weeks with a total of eight competitive games ahead of them at the end of October and in November.
These include a trip to Hellas Verona, a trip to Union Berlin in the top flight and a home game against last year’s champions Milan.
Discussions about the current SSC coach Rudi Garcia, successor to mastermind Luciano Spalletti since the summer, are included. The 59-year-old is already being clearly ticked off by the media, while club president Aurelio de Laurentiis, known for his pithy words, is already said to be looking for a successor – and has already received a rejection from Antonio Conte (most recently of Tottenham).
Apropos de Laurentiis: At a university in Rome, the eccentric 74-year-old recently did not mince his words again and caused further speculation regarding an imminent dismissal of the coach. “It is not a good moment with Rudi Garcia,” said the president about the team’s current lack of form and, above all, consistency. And further: “If you decide to hire a coach who doesn’t know Italian football anymore, that can happen. I will make the best decision at the right time.” Quite cheeky words, after all Garcia worked quite successfully for AS Roma (2013 to 2016) before his last stations Al-Nassr, Lyon and Marseille.
