Napoli’s new head coach, Francesco Calzona, is happy with the current form of Super Eagles attacker, Victor Osimhen who hit a hat trick in the Partenopei 6-1 away win at Sassuolo on Wednesday night.
Calzona admitted Osimhen participation at the 2023 AFCON in Cote d’Ivoire drained him mentally and physically but noted that it was awesome to see the Nigerian quickly recovering from it to help Napoli in the business end of the Italian Serie A season and the UEFA Champions League.
Osimhen with 11 goals from 15 league games has scored five goals in his past three games including the crucial equaliser in Napoli’s 1-1 home draw with Barcelona in the first leg of the Champions League Round of 16 tie played .
“Osimhen is getting back to his best and that’s clear to see. The Africa Cup of Nations is incredibly draining both mentally and physically and he needed to get into top shape again. Kvara is finding his old sparkle as well,” the coach told journalists.
The gaffer also said he was pleased with the fantastic job done but not getting carried away after Napoli stunned Sassuolo with six goals in Reggio Emilia.
“It’s a big win but we must keep getting better because we need lots more wins if we’re to get back up the table,” the coach offered following his side’s 6-1 victory. “We needed a convincing performance today and I thought we were very good tactically. Now we have to keep going in this direction.
“Since I joined, the lads have spared no effort in trying to get back to their old selves. That shows how good the spirit is in this group.
“It’s not easy so shake off the effects of months of not performing at your best but in the weeks I’ve been here I’ve seen real commitment and desire from the lads to show their true worth.”
He added: “It will take a bit of time but I’m sure everyone will give their all until the end so that we can achieve as much as we can. Right now we just need to focus on one game at a time because we can’t be looking too far ahead. We have hopes and ambition but we’ll see where we are come the end of the season.”
Credit: thenationonlineng.net
