The 2014-15 season did not get off to the best of starts for Napoli, as they crashed out of the Champions League playoffs at the hands of Athletic Bilbao – the 4-2 aggregate scoreline perhaps failing to emphasise the superiority the Basque side enjoyed over the two legs. Having worked so hard to secure third place in Serie A, falling at the first hurdle left the Italian club and boss Rafael Benitez in something of a strange position.
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Arriving the previous summer, the former Liverpool managerclearly expected to lead his team into Europe’s elite competition and lured a number of highly talented players to the Stadio San Paolo with that aim in mind. Adding the likes of José Callejón and Gonzalo Higuaín to an already impressive squad, Benitez and his players were understandably disappointed at their exit and their domestic performances hit a major slump.
The early season form of Higuaín was perhaps the greatest concern, the Argentinean appearing unable to move on from his poor showing in the World Cup final, when he missed a glorious one-on-one chance to put his nation into the lead. His dream of emulating the achievements of Diego Maradona for both club and country never seemed more distant, with his unhappiness adding to the general feeling of malaise that descended over Napoli. Higuaín’s form mirrored that of the club, failing to find the back of the net until late October and enjoying a brief resurgence with five goals in a week, but it proved to be something of a false dawn.
Their collective dip would perhaps reach its lowest ebb with defeat to AC Milan in mid-December, at which point they had won just one of their previous six matches in all competitions and fallen to seventh place in Serie A. Napoli owner Aurelio De Laurentiis spoke out for all of the club’s fans, Il Mattino reporting that he stormed into the dressing room at full time. “Enough, it’s unacceptable. Your attitude is unacceptable,” the local newspaper claimed he yelled at the players, and his words appeared to have the desired effect.
Notching a 2-0 win over rock-bottom Parma in the final league game before the winter break, they followed that up with victory over Juventus in the Italian Supercoppa. The Bianconeri handed them a 3-1 defeat shortly after, but Napoli have dropped points on only one other occasion since the Milan game. With 10 wins in all competitions since De Laurentiis intervened, they have climbed back into third place, reducing the gap behind Roma to just three points before this weekend began.
At the heart of their resurgence was Higuaín, who ended a run of six games without a goal by netting twice in the Supercoppa triumph – as well as a penalty in the shootout. The 27 year old has scored a further eight times since, with those goals taking his tally to 18 goals in all competitions, adding five assists to help the Partenopei into the semi-final of the Coppa Italia and the last sixteen of the Europa League.
“Higuain is a great striker, one of the best in the world. I’ve worked with many excellent forwards, including Raul when he was only 16.” – Rafael Benitez
Only compatriots Carlos Tevez and Mauro Icardi can better that return, and like that duo, he has once again become a constant threat for opposition defenders. Lethal throughout his career, he has rediscovered the deadly accuracy in front of goal that remains his biggest talent, statistics from Squawka.com showing he has hit the target with 57% of his efforts this term. He once again seems happy to be wearing the Napoli shirt after being linked with a move to Barcelona last summer and with Liverpool later this year constantly discussed, he spoke to RAI Sport and called Naples “a special place for Argentineans.”
Adding that he “came here to win titles and make history,” it remains to be seen whether the club can convince him to remain once the season comes to an end. Benitez – himself linked with a role at Paris Saint-Germain – has refused to commit himself to the club, saying that he will only “talk about my future in two or three months.” With the coach’s contract expiring in the summer, it could be yet another year of transition for Napoli, and it is unlikely Higuaín would see himself as part of any rebuilding project.
Clinching second place ahead of Roma and securing a guaranteed berth in the group stage of the Champions League would be a major factor, amd should they fail in that aim any club hoping to lure him away from the shadow of Mount Vesuvius would certainly need to offer him the chance to test himself against the continent’s best. His current club will hope that a love of Maradona is enough to keep Higuain at Napoli, but the temptation of a fresh challenge at Arsenal or Liverpool may yet pry him away.
