Victor Osimhen scored his 14th league goal of the season in Napoli’s 2-1 victory over AS Roma in the Italian Seria A. He has now equalled his best-ever tally in the European topflight in just 16 appearances.
The reason behind Osimhen’s massive improvement in front of goal is not far-fetched. He has become more dangerous as a striker. What do I mean?
The first thing to note is that the Nigerian is getting into more dangerous positions than he has ever been. His expected goal per game this season per Fbref.com is 0.95, the closest to that was his expected goal for last season which was 0.64. When a striker gets into dangerous positions, he has made the first step in getting the ball at the back of the net.
As I have always said, a striker’s best asset is how well he shoots the ball. 39% of Osimhen’s shots have been on target this season which is the best he has recorded in the last four seasons. It is also worth noting that he is averaging 2 shots on target this season, the best he had in the last few seasons. But there is more.
The Italian Seria A top scorer is scoring more goals from his shots. This means he is becoming more decisive with the shooting of the ball. 0.21 of his shots have resulted in goals while 0.54 of his shots on target have gone into the back of the net.
Therefore, it is unsurprising that he has exceeded his expected goals this season. Since moving to Naples, Osimhen has scored below his expected goals but he has exceeded his XG by 4 goals already this season.
It is also interesting to know that Osimhen has not only improved in front of goal, but he has also improved other facets of his game.
After Napoli’s 2-1 victory over Atalanta in November, Napoli’s coach Luciano Spalleti said Osimhen needs to learn to ‘play with his teammates’. Stats from Fbref.com also have it that Osimhen has listened to the advice of his manager and is becoming a more all-round forward.
The lanky striker has completed 71% of his passes this season which is the best he has ever recorded, he has made 11 passes into the final third, 5 lesser than his best record of 16 and he has equalled his best-ever tally for progressive passes which is 8.
It is also worth noting that Osimhen has 3 assists this season, one short of his best tally of 4 with more than 15 games to be played.
As someone who has followed Osimhen since his emergence at the FIFA U-17 World cup where he won the Golden boot, I am happy with his rise to stardom.
While he is not in the class of Erling Haaland or Robert Lewandowski yet, there is no denying the fact that it is only a matter of time before he starts rubbing shoulders with them as the best strikers in the world.
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