Head coach of Napoli Luciano Spalleti says Nigeria international forward Victor Osimhen has so much potential to be the best striker in the world if he works on one area of his game.

Osimhen scored his 9th goals of the season in 19 games in what has been an injury hit season. His brace yesterday against Verona helped Napoli to a 2-1 win and also keep them in touch with the leaders AC Milan in the race for the scudetto.

Spalleti was pleased to see his big money man score a brace after a week of criticism following his not too impressive performance against AC Milan last weekend, which further increase talks about his not too good performance in big games.

“Osimhen still doesn’t realise the distance from his marker, sometimes he runs towards the ball and has the time and space to control, pick his spot. He doesn’t need to rush”, Spalleti said after the win against Verona.

“He can start a run from midfield, take on four or five defenders by himself with that pace, so he has such potential”, he concluded.

One of the hottest Nigerian striker in Europe has to be one cap Nigeria international forward Cyriel Dessers owing to the fact that he has scored 13 goals this season for Feyenoord in the Dutch Eredivisie.

On loan from Belgium side Genk , he has emerged as the super sub of the team in the league and continental games and yesterday when handed a rare start the 27 year old didn’t disappoint.

He popped up with the winner in the 77th minute against PEC Zwolle to help his side to all three points and ensured that they remain in 3rd position after 26 round of games in the Dutch Eredivisie.

Snubbed by the interim coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Austine Eguavoen in his sqaud for the Africa Cup of Nations, he was also not considered in the sqaud for the upcoming 2022 World Cup qualifiers playoff games against Ghana.

His representative said he isn’t letting the disappointment get to him rather it is spurring him to great height as that the best way to catch the attention of the senior national team of Nigeria.

“He is obviously disappointed but not allowing it to affect his club form. He has a strong desire to be a part of the Nigerian team and he knows if he keeps scoring then it’s possible. That his mentality for now”, he told OwnGoalNigeria.com in an exclusive interview.

Victor Osimhen was the hero for Napoli in their 2-1 win over Verona in the Serie A with his brace good enough to power his team to a much needed win.

The Nigerian showed his aerial strength nodding home the opening goal of the game in the 14th minute. He used good movement to grab his second goal of the day with 19 minutes left to play.

There have been lot of talks about the Nigerian in the build up to the game especially that he goes missing in key games. Coach of Verona Igor Tudor doesn’t even see him as the best striker in Italy

Prior to the game Tudor said the Nigerian is behind Juventus forward Dusan Vlahovic, who to him is the best striker in the Italian Serie A.

“He (Osimhen)  is not the best striker in Serie A, no. He’s one of the best, but for me the best is Dusan Vlahovic. I don’t want to focus too much on Napoli’s strengths and players, because I am concentrating on what Verona can do”, he shrugged off the threat of the Nigerian.

Osimhen’s brace against his team is the perfect way to reply the manager who will no doubt after the game understand why the Nigerian forward is so highly rated and cost that much.

Interim coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Austine Eguavoen says he won’t be scared of throwing Ademola Lookman and Calvin Bassey into the starting lineup for Nigeria when they take on Ghana.

Nigeria will take on Ghana in the 2002 World Cup qualifiers playoff on the 25th of March in Cape Coast before taking them on in the return leg four days later in Abuja.

Ahead of the game the coach of the Nigerian team called up 32 players including Leicester City Lookman and Bassey of Scottish side Rangers. Both players have been impressive for their respective teams.

Asked if there is a chance of having the duo start the game against Ghana, Eguavoen said every player in the squad stands equal chance of starting the game saying it all depends on how they perform in training.

” I don’t have a problem with starting Lookman or Bassey. It’s about what I see in training ahead of the game. Both players are doing well and it’s our hope that they will show same form or even better when we take on Ghana”, he told OwnGoalNigeria.com

Ghana’s star midfielder Thomas Partey has given his opinion on the upcoming World Cup qualifiers playoff games between his country and the senior national team of Nigeria.

Partey who is expected to wear the captain armband for Ghana against Nigeria for both games on the 25th and 29th of March respectively has been in fine form for Arsenal the past two months. He was voted the club’s player of the month.

Ahead of the game, Partey was approached by some Nigerians in London who were at the Arsenal training ground and when asked what his opinion is about the games, he wasted no time in giving a brief reply.

In a short video made available to OwnGoalNigeria.com, he said any tie involving both nations is always a classic particularly for the Nigerians.

” You know your team plays differently when it’s Ghana. So we know what to expect and it means we will also be at our best possible for both games. The game will be decided over two legs hence no need for much talk”, he said.

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) is on a collision course with their counterparts in Ghana over the allocation of tickets for the first of their two legged World Cup qualifiers playoff games.

Ahead of the first leg which will take place in Ghana on the 25th of this month, the NFF have demanded for 10,000 tickets to be distributed to fans of the Nigerian team, who will be at the stadium.

This much was made known by Ghanaian journalist Nuhu Abdul on Twitter. He further said the stadium where the game will take place can only carry a maximum of 15,000 fans.

“The Nigeria 🇳🇬 Football Federation (NFF) has requested for 10,000 tickets from the Ghana 🇬🇭 Sports Minstry ahead of the 2022 World Cup play-off 1st Leg in Cape Coast on March 25. Meanwhile the Cape Coast Stadium takes 15,000 people maximum during matches”, he posted on Twitter.

His statement means a disagreement between the football federation of both countries is brewing considering that Nigeria will host Ghana in Abuja, four days after the game in Cape Coast.

One cap Super Eagles forward Anthony Nwakaeme says he has what it takes to help Nigel get a favourable result when they play Ghana in the World Cup qualifiers playoff.

Nigeria will take on Ghana on the 25th of March in Cape Coast before playing host in Abuja on the 29th of same month. A price at the World Cup is on stake for the team who wins the tie on aggregate.

Interim coach of the Nigerian team Austine Eguavoen released a list of 32 players for the games with seven on standby but there was no spot for Nwakaeme whose last cap for Nigeria came in 2018.

In between that time he has moved from Israel to Turkish side Trabzonspor, and he is strongly part of why they are run away leaders in the Turkish League this season as he has contributed ten goals with nine assists.

Asked if he thinks he deserve a look in for the the games, Nwakaeme said without a doubt he should have been considered but said he isn’t bothered as it has been happening for a long while.

” Of course my numbers is there for all to see. I can’t say I deserve to be there ahead of the players in the list but I should have been given consideration to fight for a shirt against the others in the team”, he told OwnGoalNigeria.com.

Pressed on if he thinks he can play a role in helping the team beat Ghana he said it’s not even a thing of debate because his abilities is something that is well celebrated by fans of the clubs he has played for.

” I know what I can do and helping the team beat Ghana is what I believe I can help with. Take a look at how I am celebrated everywhere I have played in Europe.  But I am not a part of the team hence I can only wish the players selected the best of luck”, the 32 year old concluded.

A lot has been said about the Super Eagles squad of players for the two legged World Cup qualifiers playoff games against Ghana in Cape Coast and Abuja on the 25th and 29th of March respectively.

The list which was compiled by the interim coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Austine Eguavoen had 32 names of which seven where placed on standby ahead of the crunch tie.

A look at the list sometimes provides more questions than answers and when Eguavoen was questioned by a group of Nigerian journalists, he also didn’t provide enough clarity on some of the questions raised in relation to the list.

Top of it was when he inferred that the invitation of Ogenyi Onazi who plays in the Saudi Arabia second division for Al-Adalah wasn’t his idea but had to include him to pacify some interest. The interest we later found out was his assistants.

Before making the list of invited players public, Eguavoen asked his assistants to come up with a list of their own and Onazi’s name came up twice and as a show of respect decided to include him but on the standby list.

If that was done out of respect for his assistants, same can’t be said about the inclusion of three players in the team as they were imposed on the coach of the team by president of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Amaju Pinnick.

Pinnick who was with the coaches during a tour of London made it know to Eguavoen that certain players should be in the list because in his words they are his boys. Eguavoen has his reservations about two of them but had to bow to his demands.

We gathered Eguavoen submitted a list of 28 players to the NFF leaving room for them to add players who are favoured by the president and it is why the list swelled to 32 names. One player in the list was also axed to the standby list with another who is on standby taking his spot in the team.

Former sports attorney general and manager Enrico Fedele says Nigeria international forward Victor Osimhen isn’t the type of striker Napoli should rely on for goals despite his impressive goals per game ratio.

This season despite missing more than three months due to a facial surgery, the record signing has scored seven goals from 18 games in the Italian Serie A. He is well on course to better his last season record of ten goals.

Speaking on the backdrop of the Nigerian failing to hit target against AC Milan last weekend when his team lost 0-1, Fedele said Osimhen doesn’t have it in him to score 20 goals a season.

In an interview with Radio Marte monitored by Owngoalnigeria.com editorial team, Fedele said Napoli should revert to their old style of play as the current system with Osimhen. He advised coach of the team Luciano Spalleti to rely more on Hirving Lozano for goals.

“Osimhen? If we have to start again we have to start again from him and from Koulibaly. He has a courageous youth but one player scores the goal. he doesn’t have it in his blood, he has scored a maximum of 14 goals per season”, he said.

”If one doesn’t have it, he doesn’t get to particular situations. He should be a great driver with someone close by who hears the goal. He can vary in attack and be of help to other attackers.

“The only one who has the goals in his legs is Lozano, we have to go back to the old restaurant where the food is good even if it is no longer what it used to be, that is Mertens. Osimhen during the race takes off the opponent but breaks down, so he shoots in an unclear manner, and he has no people accompanying him”, he rounded up on the issue .

He however said the idea of pairing Osimhen in attack with Dries Mertens is one that Spalleti should consider if they intend to keep their push for the scudetto alive. Saying the formation will help as Osimhen isn’t the type who can score 20 goals a season for the club.

Sure, I’d play with them two neighbors. Mertens is not in a moment of remarkable form but Napoli must score. Playing with the winger means giving the possibility to receive the ball on the feet and then giving the other winger a way to cross and score goals. The team was built for Osimhen believing that he was a goalscorer but he is not a 20 goal player a year despite being a great fighter”, he concluded.