Napoli can’t depend on Higuain alone

Only Fiorentina (31) and Roma (thirty) have scored extra goals this season than Napoli: 28. Maurizio Sarri’s offensive tactics have transformed the Partenopei in possibly the most efficient and deadly team in Serie A. Lorenzo Insigne has been better than ever as Napoli’s playmaker and their midfield with Marek Hamsik, Allan and Jorginho has been performing.And then there’s Gonzalo Higuain. The Argentinian striker sits at 14 ambitions, leading Sampdoria’s Eder by four in the battle for Capocannoniere. He would become the 11th Argentinian player to become top scorer in Italy, following in the footsteps of Diego Maradona, Gabriel Batistuta, Hernan Crespo and Mauro Icardi.But during the last two Serie A rounds, it has become clear that Higuain’s goal scoring spree hands the Azzurri a poisoned gift. Having the top scorer at your disposal never hurts, but the Argentinian has scored 50 per cent of all Napoli’s targets. That’s way more than anyone in the league, with Eder being second at 45 per cent and Carlos Bacca a distant third at 35 per cent, just ahead of Paolo Dybala at 32 per cent.In fact, the Partenopei have managed to win just one match all season in which Higuain didn’t score. It was the 4-0 victory against Milan back on October 4th. So while Napoli’s offensive flow has been brilliant at times, there hasn’t always been an end result to reward the team for its performance.If Napoli want to keep on competing for the Scudetto, Sarri has to find another regular source of ambitions. afifacoins Insigne has scored seven so far, but fellow attacking options Dries Mertens, Jose Callejon and Manolo Gabbiadini have scored just twice in Serie A.However, that stands in sheer contrast to the combined 14 plans Mertens, Callejon and Gabbiadini have scored in the Europa League. But while 16 coins Mertens and Gabbiadini haven’t received steady minutes in Serie A (and have been injured for some time), no one can explain Callejon’s crazy opposite stats in European and domestic matches.The Spaniard has recorded five goals and three assists in six games and 373 minutes in the Europa League. Which is amazing. But the same player has recorded zero targets and zero assists in 16 games and 1075 minutes in Serie A. That’s just bizarre.When Napoli come to town, teams are planning for Higuain and Insigne. And at this moment, it’s working. If you can smother Insigne’s passes and keep Higuain away from goal, you’ve got a pretty good chance of gaining points against the Azzurri. And what if one of them gets injured, even for a short period of time?Team depth is a crucial aspect in the Scudetto race. Having a set of different goal scorers is part of this. That’s probably the main reason Juventus and Inter are seen as the clear-cut favourites to be crowned Italy’s champions this period. It’s therefore up to Callejon, Mertens, Gabbiadini and even Hamsik and Allan to help out their star duo.Think you know your Italian football? Share your knowledge, tips and comments to win cash prizes in OLBG's tipster competition - £5,000 monthly. read more