Serie A: Garcia wants Osimhen, others to be tactically unpredictable
Rudi Garcia agrees with Victor Osimhen that Napoli should always focus on what they can improve, revealing how Giacomo Raspadori and Kvicha Kvaratskhelia can be ‘tactically unpredictable.’
This 2-0 win over Sassuolo was the home debut for the coach taking over from Scudetto winner Luciano Spalletti and he had already overseen a 3-1 comeback triumph away to Frosinone.
It was on paper a fairly comfortable victory, Osimhen converting a penalty and Raspadori missing another spot-kick before Kvaratskhelia came off the bench to provide his first assist of the season for Giovanni Di Lorenzo.
Neroverdi midfielder Maxime Lopez also saw red for dissent.
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At the final whistle Osimhen was furious with himself and his teammates for a move that broke down, a sign of how much he always wants to do better.
“He is absolutely right!” Garcia told DAZN.
“We won and picked up six points, we practically didn’t run any risks, that is all positive, but we could also have improved in attack. I think not even 20 per cent of our shots were on target today, so there’s no miracle cure here, if you don’t get it on target, you don’t score goals.”
Despite having been signed as the replacement for Kim Min-jae, Natan has still not featured, instead picking Juan Jesus at centre-back.
“Natan needs time, he just arrived from Brazil, he is young and doesn’t speak the language. He seems less timid now than at the start, so let’s give him time. I chose the experience of Juan Jesus over Leo Ostigard, he responded well, has quality and is a leader in this team.
“It is a pity for Raspa, who hit the woodwork after a couple of minutes and every great player has missed a penalty in his time.”
Osimhen had converted the first penalty and should’ve taken the second, but the Nigerian himself decided to hand it over to teammate Raspadori.
“That is a great sign, because it means he is thinking about the team and not just about himself. I loved that. Raspadori is an attacking player who can feature in any of the forward roles, he will score goals and get assists.”
Kvaratskhelia missed the first match with a muscular issue and within three minutes of his season debut provided the assist for Di Lorenzo.
“Kvara only had two weeks or so of training out of five from pre-season, so it was better for him to come on when the opponents were tired and he could really make the difference. He is back and that is great news for Napoli.
“Raspa is not a player who can stay on the right or left, he needs to roam around and give more options to Osimhen. The same goes for Kvara, he must give his opposing full-back a sense of constant uncertainty and unpredictability. He is unpredictable when he dribbles, but I think he can be more unpredictable tactically as well.”
Luciano Spalletti left also because he was concerned there was no way of following up the Scudetto, so does Garcia feel Napoli players will be weighed down by the raised expectations?
“I told the players that the day they feel tired or have doubts, look down, see that tricolore on the jersey and remember what you are capable of.”