Higuain ready to build on two-goal performance to get back to 2015-16 levels

Gonzalo Higuain has been a goalscorer all of his life — even if I remember him being classified as an “attacking midfielder” in Football Manager games a dozen years ago now — and the two goals against Huddersfield Town on Saturday means that he’s now reached double-digit goals in each of the past eleven seasons (8 for AC Milan and now 2 for Chelsea), but the number that he’s keeping in mind is 36. That’s many times he scored in the league under Maurizio Sarri at Napoli in just 35 games, setting the single-season mark in Serie A and earning himself a €90m transfer to Juventus.

“Sarri is the coach who has got the best out of me as a player. He’s someone who knew how to work with me, particularly on the emotional side. That (2015-16) was a wonderful season, one in which I broke the goal-scoring record, which is very important out there. It was a fantastic year for myself and Maurizio, a period which we shared together, even though it was for a short time.

“I’m just happy to be working with him again at a big club, which has so much history and wonderful team-mates. I’m really happy to have been given the opportunity to do that and I want to get back to that level.”

Only twice in the previously mentioned 11 seasons has Higuain failed to reach at least 20 goals and he will be hoping to not make that three. If he can build on his good start — good movement and improving understanding with his teammates — perhaps he can indeed achieve that mark again, to everyone’s benefit.

“I can see there is a change from the Italian league because here the defenders go into you harder, especially when you receive the ball to feet. This is a big difference, but I have got a good impression of English football and as I gradually get to know my team-mates it will only get better for me.

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“I think everything is set on the right path to achieve our goals by the end of the season.”

-Gonzalo Higuain; source: Evening Standard

So say we all.