BEVERLY HILLS, May 24, (THEWILL) – After a herculean task of pulling themselves up by their own bootstraps to come within striking distance of denying former Serie A champions Juventus a top four finish and a place in next season’s UEFA Champions League, Victor Osimhen’s Napoli fell short in the end.
The fallout came swiftly as it was made official that Gattuso was leaving the club with the team ending the season in fifth place. This came via a post on Twitter from the verified account of Aurelio De Laurentiis, the owner of the Napoli side. He tweeted:
“Dear Rino, I am happy to have spent almost two seasons with you. Thank you for your work and I wish you success wherever you go. A hug also to your wife and children.”
There were talks making the rounds in February that Gattuso’s job was hanging by a thread after some disappointing results including the semi-final exit from the Coppa Italia that month. But the team began to climb the table and display some technical depth that helped their season and postponed the axe falling on Gattuso’s job.
However, failing to make it to the Champions League appeared to have been the last straw that rubber-stamped the exit of the club legend from his managerial position. The club however remained grateful to their manager, which was reflected in the tweet of the official club account that simply said: “Thank you, boss!” with an attached Gattuso picture.
A win in the final game was all Napoli needed to be in the elite European football contest next season and playing against Verona seemed heaven-sent given the form of the team and the presence of key players. They were good for it through Amir Rrahami’s 61st-minute strike even as Juventus were winning their match but Marco Davide Feroni equalised for Verona eight minutes after.
As it became obvious that they were in danger of missing out, the Napoli team pressed ever harder. Tiémoué Bakayoko almost found the winning goal with a header. Andrea Petanga and Matteo Politano fired chances and Dries Mertens had penalty appeals turned down.
Osimhen played a conservative game with an impressive rating but could not find a way through the mid-table Hellas Verona backline in a final day game that they needed to win. In the end, the extra goal they sought did not come, and as a consequence Gattuso’s side dropped out of the Champions League places.
It also implies that in his second season in Serie A, Osimhen will be working with a new manager instead of Gattuso, who reposed so much confidence in the Nigerian forward, especially through the periods of his injuries, and was rewarded with the work rate Osimhen put into his performances and the difference his goals made for Napoli.
If the new manager is anything like Gattuso, it will not take him long to discover Osimhen’s talents and put them to proper use for the glory of the entire team.
A Napoli icon, Gattuso succeeded Carlo Ancelotti as Napoli coach in December 2019 and led them to Coppa Italia glory in June 2020. As easy to predict as Gattuso’s departure was, it was always going to be difficult. The outgoing manager has not fielded any questions on the matter recently as the club have imposed a media blackout since February.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
