'A crazy player'- Antonio Cassano says Osimhen will not save Napoli this season

Victor Osimhen remains a man in demand. (Photo Credit-Imago)

'A crazy player'- Antonio Cassano says Osimhen will not save Napoli this season

Joba Ogunwale 20:55 - 22.08.2023

Osimhen spearheaded Napoli’s title charge last season but the former Real Madrid star does not believe the Nigerian is able to replicate the same this season.

Former Italy attacker Antonio Cassano has praised Super Eagles striker Victor Osimhen, but says Napoli will find it difficult to retain their title even with the Nigerian star. 

Osimhen reached god status in Naples last season after leading Napoli to their first Serie A title in 33 years. 

 Cassano praises Osimhen but says Napoli will not defend title 

The Super Eagles star spearheaded Napoli’s title charge, leading the scoring charts with 26 goals, including the strike that sealed the league title. 

var widgetLoaderConfig = widgetLoaderConfig || { CDN_URL: 'https://widgets.sportal365.com', APP_LINK: 'desktop', API_URL: 'https://africa.football.api.sportal365.com/', API_KEY: '2f852b4de2f3a5cf3188e74b33087bb4:2c18422f8e826a7d11aeed52edb2449e', LANG: 'en', REQUEST_INTERVAL: 30, ENABLE_BET_SLIP: false, AUTHOR: false, THEME: "light", TOURNAMENT_ORDER: "pulse_nigeria", LINK_OPTIONS_V2: { 'player' : { 'url': '/football/player/{playerId}' }, 'team' : { 'url': '/football/{teamId}' }, 'tournament': { 'url': '/football/competition/{tournamentId}' }, 'match': { 'url' : '/football/match/{matchId}', 'sort': { 'criteria': 'alphabetically', 'direction': 'asc' } }, 'configuration': { 'newWindow': false }, 'standings_tournament': { 'url': '/football/competition/{tournamentId}/standings' } } }; if (!document.querySelector('script[src="https://widgets.sportal365.com/loader.bundle.min.js"]')) { window.setTimeout(function () { let scriptCss = document.createElement('link'); scriptCss.href = 'https://www.pulsesports.ug/css/sport-widgets.css?v=1668785443'; scriptCss.rel = 'stylesheet'; scriptCss.type = 'text/css'; document.body.appendChild(scriptCss); let scriptTag = document.createElement('script'); scriptTag.src = 'https://widgets.sportal365.com/loader.bundle.min.js'; scriptTag.defer = true; scriptTag.onload = function () { window.setTimeout(function () { new SMPWidgetsLoader(widgetLoaderConfig); }, 200); }; document.head.appendChild(scriptTag); }, 0); } else { new SMPWidgetsLoader(widgetLoaderConfig); }

Napoli are looking to defend their title again this season, but Cassano insists the Neapolitans will find it difficult to replicate last season’s success. 

The ex-Italian striker, now turned pundit, says the loss of Luciano Spalletti will likely affect the champions this season. 

Antonio Cassano says Osimhen will not be able to save Napoli this season
Antonio Cassano in his Italy days (Image credit: Allsport)

Spalletti was Napoli’s coach last season but left his role after leading them to the title, and has since gone on to become Italy’s new manager. 

The Neapolitans also lost the services of Kim Min-jae, a key player in their success last season, to Bayern Munich. 

Cassano insists the departure of Spalletti will affect Napoli’s chances, predicting they will finish outside the top four even with a top player like Osimhen in their squad. 

"I wish Rudi Garcia a big good luck, but I also say that repeating what he did Spalletti will be impossible. I have a feeling and I'll say something strong: Napoli will struggle to get into the top four this year. I say it right away despite the presence of Victor Osimhen, a crazy player who always makes you start games 1-0,” Cassano told Bobo TV via Napoli Magazine. 

Napoli start defence with a win

However, Cassano may be wrong in his judgement based on what Napoli produced in their opening Serie A match of the new season. 

Rudi Garcia’s men started their title defence with a 3-1 win over the newly–promoted Frosinone at the Stadio Benito Stirpe.

Osimhen continued from where he left off as Napoli beat Frosinone
Osimhen scored a brace to help Napoli start their title defence with a win (IMAGO / Independent Photo Agency)

Osimhen was once again the main protagonist, scoring a brace after Matteo Politano had equalised for Napoli following Abdou Harraoi early penalty for Frosinone. 

Related content