
New
Chelsea striker Gonzalo Higuain needs to hit the ground running at Stamford
Bridge, according to Mark Schwarzer.
The Argentine, who has scored an impressive 275 goals in 537 matches so far
in his career, joined Maurizio Sarri's side on a six-month loan from
Juventus on Wednesday.
However, Schwarzer thinks the 31-year-old may find the change of pace in the
Premier League hard to adjust to initially.
"Will he bring something different to the club (from Olivier Giroud)?
Probably, as he is a different player," the former Chelsea goalkeeper told
The Debate. "He is someone who is more renowned for scoring goals.
"It is a different game and league (to Serie A), the pace of the game is so
much different here in the Premier League.
"So if he does come in at the level he needs to be, and it is going to take
a while, it is not something that is going to happen overnight.
"So he needs to hit the ground running and be top fit to be able to fit into
the side and play the way he played at Napoli. And he has not got that
time."
However, Kevin Phillips believes Higuain's previous time working under Sarri
at Napoli will help the player settle in west London.
"From his point of view, he would be sitting there thinking, 'I need to
bring someone in'," said the former Sunderland and England forward. "'I have
worked with him at Napoli and I know what he can bring to the team'.
"He addressed his situation with being overweight at Napoli, but whether he
will get time to do that - you do not know what kind of shape he is coming
to the club in - you are hoping he hits the ground running.
"But he knows the player inside out and he knows what will make him tick,
what sort of system to play to get the best out of him. So it will be
interesting now to watch Chelsea."