IKENWA NNABUOGOR has frowned at Victor Osimhen’s fiery temper and attitude, warning the SSC Napoli striker should not let them burst his bubble…
No doubt Victor Osihmen is out there at the Diego Maradona Stadium to prove he’s worth every dime Italian side SSC Napoli splashed on him, but not at the expense of his very interesting career.
Osimhen’s career has been on the fast lane since he reminded German club Wolfsburg that they ought to have believed in him.
His mission to Naples was direct and perhaps, divine: hog the headlines, burst the nets to justify his massive €83 bounty including add-ons and possibly help Napoli to a league title since their last time out on the Scuddetto podium in the 1988/1987 season.
He’s got the ability and the every other attribute for the Italian job hasn’t been in short supply, but he could be his undoing judging by the frequent run-ins with the referees since he arrived in Naples last season.
Power, physique, hunger and drive are all Osihmen’s in his energetic pro-Napoli acts, but getting caught in bust-ups with defenders in his quest to score goals may not be in his favour and could ultimately hurt Napoli’s ambitions going forward.
Arguments with the referees resulting to being cautioned for dissent evident in his league appearances since he joined up last season could be a fun spoiler.
Osimhen has been seen many a times dissenting on the pitch by suggesting a card to be flashed by the referees after emerging from a rough tackle by opponents.
Ordinarily, referees wouldn’t have none of that from a player and no-nonsense ones would instead flash a card to the wishing player, as Osimhen has been on the wrong side of it sometimes.
Starting this current season with a red in the league opener against Venezia clearly didn’t speak well of this high profile striker.
Osimhen’s reactions most times have been spontaneous, incurring the wrath of the men in black who always believe they’re in charge.
The former Charleroi star must and will play by the referees’ whistle and approach the game with the calmness of a smooth criminal so as to not put his blossoming career on the edge.
Responsibilities have tripled since he consigned his difficult Wolfsburg stint to the archives and it appears all the pressures to justify his huge price tag are now telling on the 23-year old goal banger.
His effort in goal hasn’t fallen short of a striker with a massive price tag – 15 goals in 34 league appearances – despite all his debut season troubles that saw him miss as many as 10 games – but decent disciplinary conduct on the pitch could guarantee more goals and assists and maybe, the league title.
Part of the pressures of the game coupled with his firebrand youthfulness appeared to have propelled him to react stubbornly to an advice by a fan cautioning him to keep his on and off the pitch conduct in check, replying the fan that he was a stubborn brat with a “coconut” head.
So, even off the pitch, questions have also been asked about his attitude as it would be recalled that he was hit in the pocket by Napoli for violating Covid-19 restrictions.
New coach Luciano Spalleti also joined the former coach Gennaro Gatuso in issuing words of advice to the prized jewel to face his job of goal scoring squarely.
Osimhen is on the right path to becoming the most expensive African player ever with a princely price tag that may take ages to equal or surpass, but then he would also need a good conduct to achieve this.
Let Osimhen be. He’s young and he needs all this energy to be himself and as he grows experience will teach him how to channel it all by himself the right. And by the way, it isn’t your advice that got him to where he is now and it’s better you shoke ur advice down your throat. Like telling him to watch this and that will deprive him from being himself. Note, there arealready rules of the game and I am pretty sure he knows them and definitely he will adjust all by himself. So pls stop teaching him how to live his life(both football and private life)