:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/28733955/469710659.0.jpg)
In the win over Sassuolo on Sunday, Gonzalo Higuaín went to ground twice, both times clutching his back. It was enough to terrify any Napoli fan - Pipita is the side's top scorer this season, having notched 12 goals in Serie A, 18 in all competitions. He's third on the Serie A leaderboard and has gone a long way toward filling the hole left by a certain Uruguayan defender.
So an injury to Higuaín is exactly the sort of news that's not needed right now, particularly since Marek Hamšík has yet to rediscover his goalscoring boots. Not when Napoli need to both keep Fiorentina off their backs and attempt to close the gap on second-place Roma.
Fortunately, it seems like the injury might be minor - just a small amount of back pain, the kind that Pipita seems to struggle with on a weekly basis (perhaps he's really 83 years old?). Still, Rafa Benítez says he won't risk the Argentine in the game against Swansea on Thursday night unless he's feeling 100 percent. It's not worth him playing and possibly picking up a bigger injury.
Is this evidence that maybe Rafa doesn't care about the Europa League as much as previously thought? Or just that the manager believes Swansea can be dealt with without Higuaín up top?
And really, do you care about the Europa League?
