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With Osimhen still a fitness doubt for the crunch tie against Barcelona and also likely to depart Napoli at the end of the current campaign, we ask the question: how do Napoli perform when the Nigerian star is not available for selection?
Victor Osimhen’s impact on Napoli’s performance is a topic of much discussion among fans and analysts alike. With the Super Eagles striker still a doubt for the crucial UEFA Champions League clash against Barcelona and his future at the club still up in the air, we look at how influential Osimhen’s presence or absence has been to Napoli’s success.
By examining the team’s win percentage and average goals per game with and without the Nigerian striker, we can gauge his influence on the team’s success.
An overview of Osimhen’s Napoli spell
During the three and a half seasons that Osimhen has been with the Partenopei, he has helped them claim their first Scudetto in 33-years, while scoring 26 goals in 32 appearances in the league during the 2022/23 season to become the first African Serie A golden boot winner, and the record African goalscorer in the competition.
However, his time in Naples has not been as straightforward as his successes would make it appear, with several injury and disciplinary setbacks as well as a disastrous COVID-19 fiasco.
Victor Osimhen of Napoli poses with his girlfriend Stefanie Kim Ladewig, and daughter Hailey True following Napoli’s 2022-23 Scudetto triumph | Imago
On the pitch however, Osimhen’s contributions to Napoli have been remarkable, with the Paretnopei’s average win percentage with Osimhen reaching 60.50%, compared to 53.97% without him in the squad. Similarly, the team scored on average 1.97 goals per game with him, versus 1.76 goals without him as he notched a total of 67 goals and 17 assists in only 94 starts underscoring his significant positive impact on Napoli’s performance and demonstrating his value as both a goal scorer and a key player in the team’s offensive strategy.
But the general statistics do not tell the full story of Osimhen’s impact at Napoli, as a season by season breakdown offers insight into the Nigerian’s highs and lows in Naples, as well as his contribution to their current season, the worst during his time with the club.
20/21 Season
With Osimhen Napoli had a win percentage of 60.0% and averaged 1.83 goals per game when Osimhen played, although Osimhen missed a significant portion of the season either injured or struck down with COVID.
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Victor Osimhen in his first season with Napoli The 2020/21 campaign | Imago
Despite this, the team scored 55 goals in the 30 games that he played,with Osimhen contributing a respectable 10 goals and 3 assists.
Without Osimhen in the team, Napoli’s win percentage dropped to 52.17%, with the team averaging more goals (1.91 goals per game) in matches that he missed, scoring 44 goals in 23 games in his absence.
21/22 Season
In Osimhen’s second season with Napoli, their win percentage with him in the team was slightly lower than his first campaign at 59.38%, but the team’s goalscoring efficiency increased to 2.09 goals per game, with Osimhen significantly contributing 18 goals and 6 assists in 32 games.
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Osimhen was named Serie A’s best young player in the 2021/22 season | Imago
In the matches where Osimhen was absent, most of which were due to his broken cheekbone injury that now requires him to wear his famous mask, Napoli’s win rate was 53.33%, and goals per game fell to 1.73, as the team struggled to maintain competitive performance even without him.
22/23 Season
Osimhen’s third season with Napoli has been the most successful of his Serie A career so far, with the Nigerian superstar reaching several milestones on the way to helping Napoli win the coveted Scudetto. However, it was also the season where Napoli surprisingly recorded the best results without the Nigerian in the side.
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Victor Osimhen helped Napoli to win their first Scudetto since 1990 | Credit: IMAGO
With Osimhen in the lineup, Napoli achieved an impressive win percentage of 69.23% and averaged 2.13 goals per game, thanks to Osimhen’s remarkable tally of 31 goals and 5 assists in 39 games.
However, without Osimhen who was absent in 10 games that season (the least in one season in his Napoli career), the Serie A maintained a stunning 80.0% win rate, with a higher average of 2.4 goals per game as well, suggesting the team adapted well to his absence.
23/24 Season
Any thoughts that Napoli could fare better without Osimhen in the side have however been quickly dispelled with the Partenopei’s atrocious 2023/24 season, where the Nigerian has missed a whopping 15 matches while only appearing in 18 so far.
Osimhen’s struggles with fitness as well as his participation in Nigeria’s run to the 2023 AFCON final which cost him seven matches with Napoli have cost the striker significant game time and left the Partenopei struggling.
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Napoli have struggled with and without Osimhen in the 2023/24 season | Imago
That is not to say that Napoli have been up to scratch with Osimhen either this season, as they saw a decrease in their win rate to a low of 44.44% from a high of 69.23% with the Nigerian forward in the squad. The team is also averaging 1.61 goals per game in the 18 matches Osimhen played, where he scored 8 goals and provided 3 assists.
However, without Osimhen, Napoli’s situation is even worse as their win rate has further dropped to a disappointing 40.0%, and the goal average is at its lowest in the last four seasons, at 1.13 goals per game in his absence, indicating his growing importance to the team’s attacking threat.
Osimhen’s contributions have not only been quantifiable in terms of goals and assists but also in terms of the dynamic he brings to Napoli’s play and as the team faces crucial matches, including a UEFA Champions League clash against Barcelona and a fight to redeem a terrible domestic season, the Super Eagles frontman’s presence or absence will undoubtedly influence Napoli’s fortunes going forward.
The Naples club will hope that Osimhen is able to stay fit despite his exertions with Nigeria at the 2023 AFCON, otherwise they risk a catastrophic Serie A season as well as an early European exit.
With rumors of interest from clubs like Chelsea and PSG, Napoli will also be challenged to find ways to mitigate his potential departure possibly by delving into the transfer market for a suitable replacement. .
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