Galatasaray coach Okan Buruk has been urged to address Victor Osimhen’s recurring offside problem after the Nigerian striker was caught offside six times in their 4-1 defeat to Barcelona in the Champions League on Tuesday, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
Turkish football commentator Hüseyin Özkök criticised the forward’s positioning, insisting that Buruk must find a solution to the problem to get the best out of his prolific striker.
Speaking on A Spor, Özkök highlighted Osimhen’s contribution to Galatasaray’s eight offside offences during the encounter, arguing that the repeated mistakes limited the team’s attacking threat against the Spanish giants.
“Out of eight offsides in Galatasaray, six belong to Osimhen. Okan Buruk must definitely solve Osimhen’s offside problem,” he said.
Barcelona’s high defensive line proved effective in frustrating Osimhen, repeatedly catching him beyond the last defender and restricting his opportunities to threaten their goal.
The Super Eagles striker endured a difficult outing, recording just 12 touches, attempting three passes and completing two. He also managed one shot off target, won three of his nine duels and lost possession six times.
His struggles reflected Barcelona’s defensive organisation, which denied him the space to use his pace and physical presence effectively. The repeated offside calls also disrupted Galatasaray’s attempts to build dangerous attacking moves.
The Turkish side initially took the lead through Aleksey Batrakov, but Barcelona responded through João Cancelo before second-half goals from Fermín López, Anthony Gordon and Karim Adeyemi completed the comeback.
The defeat extended Barcelona’s winning run to 10 matches, while leaving Galatasaray to reflect on a performance in which their main attacking outlet struggled to make an impact.
For Osimhen, the match also marked the first time this season that he failed to score or register an assist in a game, ending his run of direct goal contributions.
Despite the disappointing performance, the Nigerian remains an important figure in Galatasaray’s attack. His ability to exploit spaces behind defenders has been a major part of his game, but Tuesday’s encounter exposed the difficulties he can face against teams that defend with a high line.
Buruk will need to improve the coordination between Osimhen and his teammates, particularly the timing of attacking runs, to prevent similar problems in future European fixtures.