By Adam Digby (@Adz77)

Regulars at the Stadio San Paolo know a thing or two about talented South American strikers. Over the years, supporters at the famous old arena have seen players like Edinson Cavani, Careca and Omar Sivori perform incredible feats of skill, each netting wonderful goals during their time with their beloved Napoli. 

Of course none come close to matching the impact Diego Maradona had on the city, lifting them to the only two Serie A titles in the club’s history, as well as sparking a run to glory in Europe as they won the UEFA Cup back in 1989. Recent seasons have seen the Partenopei touted as Scudetto contenders once more, only for coaches Walter Mazzarri and then Rafael Benitez fail to steer them back to the promised land.

The latter in particular was a major disappointment, his arrival expected to usher in a new era for Napoli as the former Liverpool boss brought with him a wealth of continental experience gained at some truly giant clubs. Benitez’s summer departure to Real Madrid saw the subsequent arrival of the unheralded Maurizio Sarri, fresh from leading a team in the top flight for the first time just twelve months earlier.

Yet while his Empoli side had impressed many observers as they avoided an instant return to Serie B, questions were immediately asked about his ability to coach star names like José Callejón and Marek Hamšík. Not only has Sarri managed to get those players to believe in his methods, he has arguably been the driving force behind the resurgence of Napoli’s biggest names, helping Gonzalo Higuain become the latest South American forward to win over the club’s fans.  

The Argentinean had endured a difficult year prior to the start of this season, starting when he missed a glorious chance in the 2014 World Cup Final that would likely have seen the Albiceleste take home the trophy. His Annus Horribilis continued as Napoli bowed out of the Champions League before it began, losing in the Playoff Round to Athletic Club while Higuain would also flop in the Europa League Semi-Finals, wasting a string of opportunities against Dnipro.

The Copa America Final saw him continue in much the same vein, but Sarri would then take a tough-love approach that appears to have sparked Higuain’s incredible start to 2015/16. “Right away I told him he was too lazy and that if he didn’t work on it he wouldn’t become one of the best strikers in the world,” the Coach revealed to Sky Italia back in October. “He’s an immense talent, but up until now he has expressed 80 to 90% of his potential.”

After that conversation, the striker spent time with Giuliano Posner, the Italian dietician who previously helped compatriots Lionel Messi and Sergio Agüero, subsequently beginning the campaign three kilos lighter. Not only has that helped him play his part in the intense pressing demanded by the new boss, but it has also given him an extra edge when taking on defenders.

Time and again this season, Higuain has left those tasked with marking him chasing shadows, running beyond them to net at an incredible rate. Twenty one goals in as many Serie A matches have powered Napoli into first place, accounting for a staggering 47% of the team’s total attacking output in domestic action.

That tally means the 28 year old also leads the scoring charts across Europe, netting three more than Luis Suárez and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. Former team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo is five goals behind, with Higuain having also added two more strikes in just 111 minutes of Europa League action.

In total, he has now scored 56 goals in just 90 appearances for Napoli, and a quarter of a century after Maradona made them the champions of Italy, the new leading man is in the kind of form that makes another title a distinct possibility.

Sarri continues to be tough on Higuain, using a TV interview to demand “even more ruthlessness and more application” from his no.9 after a two-goal showing against Inter last month. Yet even the Coach has begun to talk about winning the league, joking with reporters who asked him if “Scudetto” was still a swear word as he had said earlier in the campaign.

 “Yes it is,” replied Sarri following a 5-1 rout of Frosinone, “but I’m a Tuscan, and where I come from we swear quite a bit!” Yet while Napoli can afford to laugh, defenders facing Higuain are also often reduced to cursing, the striker shrugging off a reputation for failing on big occasions by scoring against Juventus, Lazio, Fiorentina and Inter already this term.

There has been talk of a move to Bayern Munich, with reports going so far as to say the German club would be willing to meet the €94 million buyout clause in his contract, but the man himself has a much simpler aim in mind. After their most recent win against Sassuolo, Napoli’s players were serenaded by supporters singing “un giorno all’improvviso mi innamorai di te, il cuore mi batteva non chiedermi perché.”

“One day I suddenly fell in love with you, my heart beats faster, don't ask me why” go the words, but Gonzalo Higuain knows they hint at the title dream held dear by all Napoli supporters. “It’s a wonderful song,” he told reporters as he left the field, “now we have to keep it going.”