Victor Osimhen failed to make an impact for Napoli in their painful Champions League loss to Barcelona, earning criticism from the Italian newspapers.
The Partenopei managed to hold the Blaugrana to a 1-1 draw in the first leg of their Champions League Round of 16 tie last month, but they failed to replicate that performance in Catalonia on Tuesday evening, falling in a 3-1 loss after goals from Fermin Lopez, Joao Cancelo and Roberto Lewandowski, nullifying Amir Rrahmani’s strike.
The result confirmed Napoli’s exit from the Champions League and also saw them miss out on the Club World Cup, with Juventus confirming their spot following the match. The Partenopei can now only hope to fight for a top four finish in the remaining months of this term.
Osimhen in particular failed to impress against Barcelona, looking isolated from his Napoli teammates. He managed just one shot across the 90 minutes and only won one of his 10 attempted duels.
La Gazzetta dello Sport explained their poor rating of Osimhen, unhappy with his inability to stay onside, saying: “Ready-go and they waste a colossal opportunity that could’ve changed history, a bad sign. In the first 20 minutes he went offside four times.”
Corriere dello Sport elaborated on their unhappiness with Osimhen, frustrated with his inability to make a difference, writing: “He played between the expert Araujo and the 17-year-old Cubarsi, against a high line, always on the edge of an offside which became a systematic trap.
“But he fought and the first signs were his, even when shooting. And in the key phase, in one of the wild dances in the penalty area, he even won a penalty due to a foul by Cubarsi: denied, what a regret.”
Tuttosport were brief but clear when reflecting on the Napoli striker’s performance, commenting: “Constantly offside, he practically never managed to connect in the match.”
Corriere della Sera echoed these sentiments, underlining his lack of impact in proceedings, saying: “He ended up offside three times in the first 21 minutes, four in the entire first half. An anonymous match.”
Osimhen ratings in the Italian newspapers
La Gazzetta dello Sport: 5
Corriere dello Sport: 5
Corriere della Sera: 5
Tuttosport: 5
Osimhen teamates were too slow to release the ball to their star striker, bad midfielders that can’t connect with their striker, their timing was wrong and slow, it’s never Osimhen fault
The midfielders and wingers prefer going for the goal themselves. I wonder if that’s what they practice during trainings. You station your proven great striker without directing the wingers to always feed him with the ball? I don’t understand Napoli‘s pattern of play.