Legends of Italian football were critical of Napoli striker Victor Osimhen following his side's loss to Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League.
Gli Azzurri were knocked out of the European competition at the round of 16 stage after suffering a 4-2 defeat on aggregate earlier this week.
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Osimhen scored in the first leg to help the Serie A side to a 1-1 draw, but he was unable to replicate that performance in the second leg as they slumped to a 3-1 loss in Spain.
As a result, criticism was levelled against the Nigerian striker, as well as teammate Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. Former Italy head coach Arigo Sacchi said that the pair did not involve themselves in the game enough.
"What surprised me the most was the little involvement of Kvara and Osimhen, the two most awaited players," he wrote in his column for La Gazzetta dello Sport via Naija News.
"Indeed, they didn’t get much service, but at the same time, they didn’t move much and they did it in the wrong way, so it was easy for opponents to stop them."
Another icon of the Italian game and former England national team manager Fabio Capello also highlighted the 2023 African Player of the Year's lack of effectiveness penetrating Barca's "weak point".
"He was flagged offside six times in the first half and went unnoticed in the second half," he said.
"It was not the same Osimhen we usually see. He struggled against Barcelona defenders and only won one aerial duel. Barcelona’s weak point was the defence, and he could not emerge."
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Former Serie A striker and Juventus' all-time top goal scorer with 290 goals Alessandro Del Piero, however, defended the Napoli star and said that "his qualities are unquestionable.”
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