Serie A has long had a rich volume and variety of Argentine players. Napoli‘s Gonzalo Higuain and Juventus‘ Paulo Dybala – two of the most exciting Argentine forwards in Italy – will face off in round six of Serie A action.
The trend of players from Argentina playing in Italy is by no means a new tradition, though there are a plethora of strikers who immediately spring to mind: Mauro Icardi of Inter, Maxi Lopez of Torino and German Denis of Atalanta, to name but a few.
As you begin to run through your slightly longer term memory, you will be reminded of names such as Carlos Tevez, Hernan Crespo and Gabriel Batistuta, and though he is not strictly a striker, it’s impossible to write this piece without at least mentioning Diego Maradona.
Merely comparing Higuain and Dybala is something I am reluctant to do. Though they do have similarities, they are fundamentally different players at different stages of their respective careers, who are at their best when deployed in different roles in different systems.
At 27-years-old, Higuain is a player whose peak years have been more prolonged than most, nevertheless his critics seem more prominent than ever of late. The Napoli forward is more of a traditional No.9, but to describe him only as such would be doing him a disservice.
A brilliant goalscorer wherever he has played, the one time ‘Galactico’ is a complete forward, and, when in form, you would be hard pushed to name a striker better than him in Serie A, and there are no more than a few better in Europe.
Higuain is someone who can be an easy target when things aren’t going as planned. His body language is seldom subtle, and he is inclined to let his teammates know when he feels they have done wrong. Often lazily labelled as one-dimensional and a sulk, this is not a fair evaluation of an outstandingly prolific and consistent marksman.
Following a disappointing end to the 2014-15 campaign that carried through to the 2015 Copa America, Napoli’s No.9 already appears to be keen to exorcise the demons of that infamous penalty miss against Lazio – a fixture in which he single-handedly clawed the Partenopei back from being 2-0 behind to find themselves on level terms – a detail often conveniently left out by his disparagers.
As the Neapolitans avenged their 4-2 defeat with a 5-0 hammering of the Biancocelesti early this season, Higuain got himself on the scoresheet twice before being substituted early in the second half, meaning he has four goals to his name for the 2015-16 season already.
In the interest of balance, one criticism of Higuain that is fair is the belief he often feels the weight of pressure that is so frequently placed on his shoulders.
This was illustrated in his World Cup 2014 final miss, the aforementioned Lazio penalty, as well as his similar fate in the penalty shootout against Chile at the Copa America.
Dybala, on the other hand, is more difficult to peg down, through him being at a much earlier stage of his career, and his style of play. If Higuain is a No.9, perhaps Dybala is a No.9.5.
Comparisons are often made between Dybala and his predecessor at Juventus and compatriot, Carlos Tevez, and with Manchester City’s Sergio Aguero.
These might appear to be generalisations and careless comparisons, but watching him play will prove their validity. I would cautiously and rather hesitantly describe him as tenacious though I will stop short of listing his canine-like qualities.
In 35 Serie A appearances last season, the now 21-year-old scored 13 times, assisting a further 10.
At that age, Higuain scored 22 times in 31 La Liga appearances for Real Madrid, assisting a further nine. Though, as previously stated, these statistics are not as directly comparable as they seem, given their different roles and relative stature of both Madrid and Palermo in their respective leagues.
With regard to the stature of clubs, perhaps this season for Dybala will be more comparable with Higuain’s 2009-10 campaign, in which he scored a phenomenal 27 goals in 28 starts for Los Blancos, as well as contributing five assists.
While this may be worth monitoring as the season progresses, it is important to remember that goals are not necessarily as much of a priority for the Juve forward, who will be helped by Alvaro Morata and Mario Mandzukic in that department.
The latest Argentina squad announced by Gerardo Martino is interesting, in that Dybala has been called up, seemingly as a direct replacement for the unselected Higuain.
It would be foolish to interpret this as a definite and permanent replacement, as I am of the inclination that both would complement one another perfectly and could strike up a deadly partnership in an already absurdly talented Argentine frontline.
The duel between the two will provide interesting viewing as the Bianconeri make the trip to the Stadio San Paolo, and for the remainder of the season.
