Victor Osimhen's biggest flaw exposed in loss to Barcelona

Super Eagles striker Victor Osimhen played the entire 90 minutes for Galatasaray as they fell to a 4-1 loss against Barcelona in their second game of this season’s UEFA Champions League.

The Cimbom started the game very well, and their game plan was clear from the beginning. They wanted to press Barcelona and win possession high up the pitch, but the Catalans had some of the best players in the world on the pitch and were able to negate Galatasaray’s approach.

However, the Turkish champions went against the run of play to score the opener in the 28th minute, courtesy of Alexey Batrakov.

Six minutes later, Osimhen thought he had provided the assist for a second goal after Baris Alper Yilmaz poked in his goal-bound header, but the goal was ruled out for offside following a VAR review.

Victor Osimhen of Galatasaray. Copyright: ImagoxYagizxGurtugx

That was the beginning of Galatasaray’s downfall. Two minutes before the break, Joao Cancelo scored the equalizer for Barcelona. Then, in the second half, Barcelona stepped it up a notch with goals from Fermin Lopez, Anthony Gordon, and Karim Adeyemi.

That was more than enough for the Catalans to seal a 4-1 victory on the night.

Victor Osimhen Struggles

Victor Osimhen of Galatasaray and Super Eagles — Victor Osimhen of Galatasaray. Copyright: ImagoxSeskimphoto

If anything was going to happen for Galatasaray on the night, it was clear that it had to come through Victor Osimhen, as he is undoubtedly the club’s best player.

However, he was exposed on Tuesday night. While the Super Eagles striker has made a name for himself through his pace, sheer strength, and aerial prowess, one of his biggest weaknesses is his tendency to stray offside, even against teams that sit very deep.

Victor Osimhen C-R and Aleksey Batrakov C-L of Galatasaray Copyright: ImagoxTolgaxUluturkx

Earlier, Afrik-Foot wrote about how Osimhen would likely struggle against Barcelona due to their devastating offside trap, which prevents opponents from finding enough space to attack. The belief, however, was that he and coach Okan Buruk would work on that before the Barcelona fixture.

Yet, it was clear that they did not, as Osimhen was caught offside six times. That largely stifled Galatasaray’s offense and ensured they found little joy in attack. Also, whenever he did not receive the ball, he resorted to remonstrating. He finished the game with a 6.3 rating on Sofascore.

For a player of his status and experience, he must be smarter in how he approaches these kinds of games. He cannot simply enter matches intending to bully his way through; he has to show more tactical awareness.

Galatasaray have now lost two games in the Champions League, and the situation does not look good for them. Nonetheless, if Osimhen remains fit and takes the lessons from the Barcelona defeat to heart, he can still lead them through.