Moni Malawi 
Who is Victor Osimhen?
The 23-year-old striker hails from Nigeria in Olusosun, where his career started at the Ultimate Strikers Academy. He entered the international stage at the 2015 FIFA U-17 World Cup and was signed by VfL Wolfsburg in 2017. This was how he launched his career. In 2019, he moved to Charleroi on loan, and later that year, he moved to Lille in France. In 2020 he transferred to Napoli for a record-breaking fee of €70 million and had been with the Serie A club since then.
His performance at the Italian side has been phenomenal, amassing 85 goal contributions in 152 appearances since 2020. His start to the 2022/23 season has been off to a rocky start as he has been dealing with a hamstring injury, but you should not write him off yet. Despite that injury, he has scored two goals and had one assist in five matches. Should he get a clean bill of health, he will come back fighting for Napoli to retain the number one spot.
Napoli’s Performance
Even though we are only three months into the Serie A season, Napoli is a good bet for winning this season or, at the very least, being runner-up. Napoli would be the team to put your money on at 10bet online sports betting in Zambia; they have 20 points with eight matches, no losses, six wins, and two draws. Atalanta is also a strong contender and is in the second position on the table with almost identical stats to Napoli.
Serie A 2022-23 Table
Club MP W D L Pts
Napoli 8 6 2 0 20
Atalanta 8 6 2 0 20
Udinese 8 6 1 1 19
Lazio 8 5 2 1 17
Milan 8 5 2 1 17
Napoli won the Serie A twice, in 1986 -87 and again in 1989 -90. They are looking to lift that trophy again this season, and even though it’s early days, this could be a possibility. The team finished third in the 2021/22 season after having had a brilliant start to the season. The teams’ performance started tapering after losing to Atalanta (4-0). Until then, they had managed to maintain a high win-loss ratio with just four losses to eight wins. The loss to Atalanta exposed their defensive vulnerability, something we hope Luciano Spalletti has tightened this season.
Napoli finished third last season after Inter Milan with 79 points from 38 matches. While football can be unpredictable, Spalletti and his boys should expect to fight the defending champions for the top spot.
Osimhen in Napoli
Victor Osimhen is a great striker with even more tremendous potential, put him in the box, and he’ll put the ball in the back of the net. He has incredible speed and pace that he can manage to control throughout the game. In the 2021-22 season, he scored 14 goals from 26 games and finished 8th on the overall Serie A table.
He has an uncanny skill as a presser, uses bursts of speed to intercept opponents’ passes, and has good first touch, basically a skilled number 9. His play is a combination of Lukaku and Drogba. He has an uncanny ability to receive the ball with his back to the net and can shield it from the defenders. At his height, this is not a problem.
He is an excellent outlet for his team in receiving and creating passes, and he can often be seen shadowing defenders making him a target to pass to and score. With the arrival of Giovanni Simeone from Hellas Verona, Osimhem’s skills could be amplified a great deal. The Argentinian scored 17 goals in his 35 matches last season. The duo gives managers more tactical options, and their partnership could create fireworks for Napoli this season. Manager Spalleti has commented that he doesn’t care much for the partnership but wants goals. Don’t we all?
Upcoming Fixtures
Napoli next plays Cremonese on 09th October, and it is unclear whether or not Osimhen will be ready to play. We certainly hope he will be there, but either way, Napoli will have their work cut out for them as they need to maintain their clean sheet, while Cremonese will be looking to move up the rankings.
The following five games for Napoli will be crucial; last season, the decline in form started after twelve games. With eight games this season, the team will have to win all upcoming matches to change that narrative.
Napoli vs. Cremonese 09th October
Napoli vs. Bologna 16th October
Napoli vs. Roma 23rd October
Napoli vs. Sassuolo 29th October
Napoli vs. Atalanta 05th November
Our Verdict
A new season always brings new opportunities; for Napoli, new signings mean better chances of winning. This team is younger, hungrier, and itching to prove their worth. There is great potential with the likes of Tanguy Ndombele, Salvatore Sirigu, and Giovanni Simeone. There is no outright favourite this season. Defending champions AC Milan didn’t do too well in the transfer period and, up until now, have given a lacklustre performance.
As things stand, this season is anyone’s game, and Napoli stands a good chance of making it theirs.