Is Higuain technically lacking?

jibers wrote:

Surag.Blueguy wrote:

jibers wrote:

Surag.Blueguy wrote:He has great technical ability more so than the real poachers like Pippo Inzaghi and Ruud Van Nistelrooy.

In his first season at Real he did play out wide if i remember correctly.So he is not limited technically but in these past few years he is more sort of adapted to the role of a poacher where you would see less of the ball as opposed to an SS or as a false 9 hence some of them have come to that sort of conclusion.

But he surely does possess the instincts of a poacher as well.

I'm sorry but this is bs, just because RVN had good in the box instinct doesn't mean he was technically lacking. RVN is one of the best technical strikers I have ever seen. You can tell the people that havent watched him play regularly. Higuain is not in his league tbh, and will probably never be.

Nope.Van Nistelrooy was technically limited as far as i am concerned.This is not any sort of ludicrous claim as i have watched him regularly.But he really has a good first touch ,that i can give it to you.

The word technical is being thrown around far too much here, what do you mean, first otuc, close control, shooting, passing? Val nisteroy had great first touch, was a good dribbler and was an above avergae passer. He is dutch, most dutch strikers are great with the ball.

Yup his first touch was great as i've admitted it.

Close Control and Dribbling ?Those were the average attributes of his.Hardly ever seen him dribble past opponents.

He is an ok passer for me.not beyond that.

Maybe limited was the not the best word to use ,but he was technically above average you could say.

And Crespo is the most unbiased opinion out there...

He is by no means technically lacking..

Higuain is a poacher imo. Maybe a bit more than one, but you wouldn't rely on him to assist or dribble past players consistently.

Higuain has great technique and tactical sense. He has 2 problems:
- Playing next to CR7 is a nightmare as a pure 9 because CR7 can become a jealous biatch if he doesn't score and you do. CR7 will adjust for nobody.
- Big game jitters that will only go away by playing in those and scoring.

That's it. He's a top player and there's no doubt about it.

Ozil has by far the best first touch in Real Madrid, on top form he may have the best in the world. Benzema, Marcelo and Cristiano the next ones.

Kizu wrote:Ozil has by far the best first touch in Real Madrid, on top form he may have the best in the world. Benzema, Marcelo and Cristiano the next ones.

Modric after Benzema

Is that RG praising Modric? BOOKMARKED!

Kizu wrote:Ozil has by far the best first touch in Real Madrid, on top form he may have the best in the world. Benzema, Marcelo and Cristiano the next ones.

Benz >>>>>>

Ozil has better touch overall, but Benzema's first touch is pure.

Higuain is a player that offers nothing expect tap ins which is fine because that is his job.. But in big games even his goalscoring lets him down. He is basicly the same as chicharito hernandez.

I prefer benzema over pipita for his technique and better build up play. He just clicks much better with özil, cristiano etc.

halamadrid2 wrote:Cristiano??? good first touch??? Khedira has a better first touch than him

You are underrating him. Let's not forget, Fergie bought him because of his technical ability.

he has great first touch, and very compact technique, though he is not a technical beast like benz for example, benz is just superior to any other striker i know in that regard, bar ibra.

SuperMAG wrote:he has great first touch, and very compact technique, though he is not a technical beast like benz for example, benz is just superior to any other striker i know in that regard, bar ibra

I actually think he's quite good technically to be honest or at least he was at one point. The season before Ronaldo I can remember him scoring some exquisite goals, jinxing past defenders in tight spaces, amazing first touch and all that stuff.

Now he doesn't really try stuff anymore, he's just looking to score these days.

Giovanni10 wrote:I think the comparison that has resulted in him receiving stick over his technical deficiencies has a lot to do with Benzema. His technique is great, but Benzema's is slightly better.

Having said that, there is a sh!tload of qualities that Higuain possesses that Benzema does not so it evens out. Like just the other day I realised that Higuain has a very deceptive turn of pace that he uses to great effect to get past defenders

He will chill the ball down to a complete stop and then *BANG!* he'll be gone. The guy certainly can shift over the first 5 yards, that how he creates so much space for himself in the box.

Benz on the other hand attempts methods to outsmart the defender rather.. or somehow wangle away the slightest angle to place a delicate finish.

Both commendable styles of play. Higuain does not lack in technique.

Higuain was actually clocked at either the Copa America or the World Cup as the fastest player in the tournament.

So his pace is extremely underrated by most fans, the problem is that he is usually not able to use it as he is in the box with his team having a lot of the possession in and around the other teams half and he doesn't usually play on the last mans shoulder.

And for what ever reason he just doesn't look like someone who is very fast, but he is and a great striker.

And no, his technique is not lacking. I don't know where some people get this stuff. Here is a little secret, if you play in an attacking position for Barcelona or Real Madrid or any good La Liga team for that matter you have good technique.

Nirgall wrote:Many people nowadays seem to have the notion that Higuain is a poacher without the ability to create chances and i find that to be so strange since only a few years ago people used to criticize him for being a useful creator but a rather inefficient goal scorer.

Obviously Gonzalo's shoot/goal ratio has greatly increased, but his technique has not decreased. Since his early Real madrid matches you could see the distribution of his skill set. His first touch was always sporadically bad, and his running does at times seem clumsy, but that doesn't solely constitute technical skill. Passing, Crossing, long shooting, heading and directed control are also technique and I feel he is above average at all of those.

In general terms I see him as complete striker. One that can be a threat through speed, strength, positioning and even skill.

Higuain used to play as a winger for quite some time when he joined Madrid and he also played under entirely different circumstances. Back then Madrid played with two strikers and in general had a much different footballing philosophy. Since then he has been forced to adapt to the new role of being a lone striker and re-prioritize what he does during games. This might have affected his technical ability because it isn't that important to him any longer. It might also be mental because he gets fewer touches on the ball than he used to (this is quite important to a lot of players).

People who claim his technical ability is lacking might just notice that during big matches though. Granted, Higuain performs very averagely and occasionally poorly in such matches. He seems intimidated by the entire atmosphere surrounding big matches. I think he's afraid to fail. It affects his game and ruins the flow that he usually has on the pitch. He begins to think too much about his next move, has too many touches on the ball and in general his play just becomes too calculated which obviously also affects his technical ability.

I think he needs more big matches to get over this though and a development seems to be happening. Previously he only suffered from performance anxiety and was apathetic in the way he performed but recently he has shown some frustration and anger during some of his displays. That frustration might be healthy in overcoming the performance anxiety.

Apart from that he simply needs to rely more on his footballing instincts because that's what has made him succeeded so far. I also think Ozil suffers from the same problem in big games but it's less noticeable with him because he plays in a position where he's allowed a much freer role and has more space around him.

A thread expressing doubts about Higuain's abilities????

I'm more confident that those who claim they know football actually have bad judgements.

@Senor Penguin - Agree with you. I think it is a mental aspect. Unfortunately that is what separates players at this level. Against teams like Barca, RM needs to press constantly higher up and players need good first touch. Higuain is nervous for sure and you can see that in last classico(missed finishes). Having said that Benz is not doing any better. I would like to see a beast in front of the goal. Someone like Drogba/Falcao..

You do realize that Benz`CL record is only second to Raul and Messi probably in terms of productivity. He has 27 goals and 9 assists in 43 games. Also, he's stepped up big time against Barca when he's played and we've actually tried to attack... ask any Barca fan here.

So when anyone says Benz is not a big game player, all I can do is laugh...

sportsczy wrote:You do realize that Benz`CL record is only second to Raul and Messi probably in terms of productivity. He has 27 goals and 9 assists in 43 games. Also, he's stepped up big time against Barca when he's played and we've actually tried to attack... ask any Barca fan here.

So when anyone says Benz is not a big game player, all I can do is laugh...

Ever since Benz scored that beaut against Sevilla (can't remember exactly what season that was - I only remember it was spring) he has been performing with confidence and great consistency. Before that he was terribly apathetic, inconsistent and on the verge of being sold (and rightfully so given his performances then).

He fits the system well because he connects with the midfield much better than Higuain does. When Higuain plays it's all about pressuring the backline of the opponent as much as possible but that's where the link between midfield and attack often lacks.

I think Higuain makes the perfect counter-attacking player while Benz is perfect for possession-minded tactics.

Benzema-Messi-Ozil partnership would be top class.

With Modric behind them.

@sportsczy - I think you agree @ Higuain. As for Benz - I did not say he is doing bad and I am not talking about last season. Current season so far - both have been wasteful infront of goal - Higuain missing more than Benz. In relative terms YES Benz is good. Hope Higuain gets his confidence back or else I would sell him for Falcao/Cavani. Although I appreciate Dzeko too.

actually benz needs attackers behind him to connect through him, usually the best play i know who does that is ineasta. I say,

________Benzema
Ineasta____Ozil____Messi

One touch 1,2's passing football, omg, supreme attacking intelligence.