The 36-year-old has hailed his fellow striker's abilities in front of goal, though feels former boss Maurizio Sarri has his work cut out for him against a revitalised Juve side
Empoli striker Massimo Maccarone has weighed in on the upcoming top-of-the-table clash between Juventus and Napoli, claiming the latter have “the perfect finisher” in the form of Gonzalo Higuain.
The match has been stylised as Juve's defence versus the Partenopei's attack, but the 36-year-old feels that singling out sections of each team for praise is misguided.
“It's restrictive,” Maccarone told Goal. “Napoli's strength, other than the phenomenon of Higuain, comes from organisation across all departments.
“If team-mates don't put you in a position to score, even the best striker will struggle. But Higuain is the best finisher for this team.
“Juventus have more individuality, you can't just say they have a strong defence – just look at the attacking quality!
“Juve defend well because their players have spent a lot of time together, but they're far more than just a defensive team.”
Maurizio Sarri has overseen Napoli's rise to the top of Serie A since his arrival from Empoli, Maccarone's current team, and the striker said that he knew his former boss would flourish if they players listened to his ideas.
“He has the full support of the squad,” he added. “That doesn't always happen at top teams, but it seems the players are listening to what Sarri has to say and the results are evidence of that.
“I think he has a group of players who are doing their best to get it right, who have understood that by playing in a certain way you can achieve great things.
“And when results follow, players are happy.”
On the result, Maccarone was careful not to come off the fence, but feels that his former boss' methodology can lead his new side to victory against the reigning champions.
“They are two very strong teams,” he went on. “When we faced Juventus at home it was not the team as they are now, but they have shown with their recent recovery that they have an incredible winning mentality as well as a very large squad.
“Napoli’s is not so big, but having said that and knowing the ideas of Sarri well, I am sure that they can go to Turin to attack and to win.”
- Goal