Napoli, Hojlund ready: Conte backs striker to kick-start season | OneFootball

Rasmus Hojlund, after his break due to muscle fatigue, is ready to become a key player again. A month ago, he was scoring non-stop in Serie A, the Champions League, and for his national team, but in his last two appearances, he seemed to fade away. Conte is counting on him to relaunch Napoli’s attack.

Napoli, Hojlund is ready now: from a record-breaking month to injury, Conte is banking on his striker to restart

Just a month ago, Rasmus seemed unstoppable. Six goals in twelve days, across the league, Champions League, and with the Danish national team. World-class numbers that ignited the enthusiasm of the “Maradona” crowd and made Antonio Conte dream. Then, everything came to a sudden halt.

A muscle discomfort, picked up after returning from the international break, turned into real fatigue that forced him to stop. Since then, Napoli has struggled to find the back of the net: just one goal in the last three matches, a statistic that clearly shows how much the absence of the center forward has weighed on the Azzurri’s attacking play.

A record-breaking October: six goals in twelve days

The month of October established Hojlund as one of the most in-form players in Europe. First, a brace against Sporting Lisbon in the Champions League, then the decisive goal against Genoa in the league, which turned around a complicated match.

In between, dazzling performances with Denmark: a brace and an assist against Belarus, a goal against Greece. Six goals in twelve days — a haul that made him the top scorer of the month, at least until October 12. The muscle discomfort accumulated with the national team turned into more serious fatigue, which led Conte to stop him as a precaution and still rely on him in the last two (goalless) outings, where he struggled a lot.

Conte without Hojlund and De Bruyne: attack in crisis

Hojlund’s injury was compounded by that of Kevin De Bruyne, sidelined by a muscle problem against Inter. With two pillars of the attacking department out of action, Napoli’s attack lost unpredictability and, above all, goals.

In their absence, Conte had to experiment: Neres adapted as a second striker and a less fluid system compared to the early matches. The result? Few goals and a slowed-down attacking play, far from the usual standards.

Towards Bologna-Napoli: Conte gets his striker back

Now, however, the situation seems to be improving. Hojlund has resumed regular training at Castel Volturno and is aiming to start in the away match against Bologna (Sunday at 3 pm).

With the return of the Dane and other key players, Conte hopes to regain balance and incisiveness in front of goal. “It’s up to Hojlund,” writes Gazzetta dello Sport, “to decide whether to disappear onto the bench or make things difficult for Conte with his goals.”

A challenge within a challenge, for a player who has already shown he can change the face of Napoli when he’s at his best.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇮🇹 here.