Victor Osimhen: Explaining Napoli marksman’s potential absence against Legia Warsaw

When you’re bottom of your Europa League group facing the unwanted prospect of falling eight points behind your next opponents, the expectation is to have your best players feature to turn the tide.

Luciano Spalletti has other ideas, though, with Napoli playing Group C leaders Legia Warsaw on Thursday. Despite the Partenopei currently bottom after two games, with only one point from a possible six, the experienced manager has hinted that star striker Victor Osimhen won’t be in match-day three’s XI.

 “Tomorrow I won't let Victor Osimhen play from the start, but the boy has athletic qualities that allow him to regenerate immediately,” Spalletti told the club’s website.

 “Those who will go on the pitch are competitive to play a match of strength and quality. We want to dedicate a good evening to our fans. We also wanted to do it with Spartak, we will try to do it tomorrow with all our commitment.”

Of course, the average observer’s wont is to question the coach’s call to rest the West African, given their precarious position heading into their encounter with the Polish outfit. Having said that, there’s a bit of method to what many will term Spalletti’s perceived madness.

Since returning from suspension after an opening day sending off against Venezia in Serie A, the frontman has started nine of 10 games for club and country, clocking 80 minutes or higher in eight of those.

Markedly, having played 180 minutes for Nigeria in their double-header against The Central African Republic during the last international break, the frontman featured for the entirety of their hard-fought 1-0 win over Torino on Sunday.

Throw in the level of work the in-form striker puts in off the ball and you understand why Spalletti reckons the ex-Lille man needs a breather.

Despite averaging just under six games domestically, Osimhen ranks among the top pressers in the Napoli side with 83 pressures in total—only six players have outdone the young striker, with Matteo Politano and Elif Elmas averaging fewer games per 90 than the Nigerian among the sextet.

Admittedly, Napoli leave themselves open to criticism if they fail in successive home games in the Europa League, having been stunned 3-2 by Spartak Moscow before the international break. Still, there’s an inclination to want to prioritize their position in Serie A even if the league is still only eight games in.

The Azzurri are the only side in Europe’s top five leagues with a 100 percent record and Sunday’s encounter with Jose Mourinho’s Roma is the biggest game in Italy’s top flight this weekend after the Derby d’Italia clash between Inter Milan and Juventus.

Napoli have won three successive meetings in the Derby del Sole and they’ll relish the opportunity of not only extending their winning run over the capital club but possibly open a 12-point lead on their opponents if they pick up a win in Rome.

The initial reaction to rest Osimhen may not be met too kindly by ardent supporters of the club, but a closer inspection demonstrates the logic to Spalletti’s decision, a choice that mustn’t be questioned even if they falter against Legia on Thursday.

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Seye Omidiora is a passionate football writer and pundit whose deep appreciation for the beautiful game exceeds the usual. He is currently a columnist for Goal Africa and has previously written for Vital Football UK, IBCity Info and Opera News.

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