Naples, Osimhen: another stop is feared

Disappointment gives way to worry. The bitterness of such a clear elimination, in front of one’s audience, already takes a back seat. To keep Napoli anxious are the conditions of Victor Osimhen. Author of the usual generous match against Barcelona, ​​in which he too managed to get the penalty kick of the momentary 1-2, the Nigerian was replaced in the 74th minute and at the exit from the field he was applied a knee bandage right. The annoyance that had affected his daily work in recent days has worsened. The reduced use in the away match in Cagliari was not enough, where he was still decisive in scoring the equalizer in the final. For this reason, it cannot be excluded that he will have to observe a longer rest period, bad news for Luciano Spalletti close to a crucial moment of the season.

Arose at the stop

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In fact, Napoli is expected from games that are anything but simple, up to the Serie A stop for the national teams. On Sunday evening the Azzurri will play at the Olimpico against Lazio, the week after they will receive Milan at Maradona in the direct clash for the championship sprint. Then there will be the away match in Verona and the internal commitment with Udinese. Certainly, without the cups, it will be easier to manage physical resources and increase the quality of training, perhaps avoiding overload phenomena such as those that occurred in Osimhen. If the attacker does not recover, the solutions are already clear and tested. Based on the opponent, Spalletti can choose whether to deploy Mertens as the first striker or move him back to the frontline with Petagna as an offensive point of reference, to increase the physicality of the department. An option that, in any case, can also be considered while the tender is in progress.

How many injuries

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While waiting to better understand Osimhen’s conditions, the frequency with which the player is forced to stop remains disheartening. Last season, his first at Napoli, he had to miss 19 matches for a total of 80 days of unavailability due to a shoulder injury, head trauma and coronavirus positivity, also contracted this year at the end of 2021. So far , in addition to Covid, he accused a muscle problem in his calf and suffered fractures of the cheekbone and left orbit. Spalletti had to do without it for 65 days and 15 games and unfortunately the fear of a new stop is once again concrete.