In a headline-grabbing and undoubtedly lucrative affair, Argentina took on Italy on Friday night, the South American side nominally the “home” team despite the match taking place at Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium. With local hero Sergio Aguero ruled out with an injury, advanced ticket sales were perhaps not high as many expected, a situation that was undoubtedly exacerbated on game day when it was announced that Lionel Messi had picked up a knock in training.
Coach Jorge Sampaoli had also opted to leave Paulo Dybala and Mauro Icardi out of his squad for this encounter, depleting an Albiceleste attack which is usually stacked with talent. Captain for the night, Angel Di Maria took up his usual role on the left of the attacking trident in a 4-2-3-1 formation, a spot that he is almost guaranteed to keep when the World Cup gets underway this summer.
The two men alongside him in Manchester will undoubtedly expect to lose their places in the starting XI once the team is back to full strength, Giovani Lo Celso of Paris Saint-Germain and West Ham’s Manuel Lanzini almost certainly set to return to the bench. Yet without Messi – who the Etihad crowd chanted for relentlessly in the second half – it was arguably the man ahead of that trio who has the most to prove.
In club football, Gonzalo Higuain has done it all. Now 30 years old, he has won three Spanish titles with Real Madrid and fired Napoli to Coppa Italia glory, then last season helped Juventus to a league-and-cup double plus a place in the Champions League final. Goals have flowed freely at every stop along the way; 107 in 190 La Liga appearances, 71 in 104 Serie A outings for the Partenopei and 39 in just 69 games for the Bianconeri.
He has broken the single-season scoring record in the Italian top flight, his return of 36 in 2015/16 topping a mark which had stood since 1950, while his return since joining Juve has been equally sensational. Higuain’s last ten games for the Old Lady alone have seen him weigh in with ten goals and three assists, powering the Italian giants past Tottenham in the Champions League and into first place in Serie A for the first time this season.
Yet as he pulled on the Argentina shirt last night, it seemed as if his reputation for choking on the international stage was about to manifest itself once again. A swift counter attack in the opening minutes presented him with a great chance on the edge of the box and he swung his right boot towards the ball, only to miss it completely and let Italy off the hook.
Groans inevitably followed, fans haunted by infamous missed chances in the last World Cup final and the Copa America showdown with Chile. Yet where he once would’ve pouted or retreated into his shell, Higuain revealed a new-found gritty determination which, while it might be unrecognisable to fans of Argentina, is something that Juventus supporters have seen repeatedly over the few months. He tracked back, he went deep in search of the ball and linked up with the midfielders on countless occasions, he pressed and harried Leonardo Bonucci, and never gave his former teammate time to settle in possession.
He wasn’t involved in his side’s opening goal, but as Italy poured forward in search of an equaliser, Argentina’s second was created entirely by Higuain. Picking the ball up on the halfway line, he turned and drove towards goal, pushing two Azzurri defenders to his right before playing a perfectly weighted pass to Lanzini on his left. The West Ham man made no mistake, slotting beyond Gigi Buffon and ensuring it would be the Albiceleste who left Manchester with a well-earned victory.
Registering one successful take-on and three layoffs, Higuain’s only shot was saved by Buffon, and the legendary goalkeeper made a beeline for the big striker after the final whistle, sharing a hearty embrace in recognition of both their friendship and each other’s excellent performances. Indeed, it is the Juve skipper who deserves much credit for the new resolute mindset of his team-mate, as the striker revealed in a recent interview with Radio Continental.
“A crucial moment for me this season was the game against Udinese,” Higuain said. “We won 6-2 and I didn’t score any goals, but Buffon came up to me and explained to me how important I am for the team even when I don't score because of my quality. I realised that being a number nine is not all that matters, I listen to constructive criticism, but the other stuff I ignore. It pleases me when they expect even more from me, because it says they are used to seeing me play at high levels.”
His national team boss – who previously had reservations about calling the Juve star – admitted he had been won over by the changes he had witnessed in Higuain. “I’ve seen him mature and he’s convinced me,” Sampaoli said as he announced the squad and the display against Italy appeared to confirm that view. “The team showed a lot of stability for much of the game and took advantage of the virtues of the players who played,” the Coach added at Friday’s post-match press conference. “Higuain led a lot of attacks and played the pass for the second goal very well.”
It is not difficult to see how deadly that link up play could be when he is flanked by the likes of Aguero, Di Maria and of course Messi. The chances he blew in those Copa America and World Cup finals would soon be forgotten if the new, improved Gonzalo Higuain finds ways to impact the game even when he doesn’t score and helps Argentina to lift the trophy this summer.
