MY ACCOUNT
Juventus are targeting European glory this season — and Dusan Vlahovic will be vital to their chances of success.
The free-scoring Serb is settling in nicely with the Bianconeri, who remain on course for a top-four finish in Serie A and are chasing a first European crown since 1996.
As Max Allegri’s side prepare to host Villarreal in the second leg of their Champions League last-16 tie tonight, we take a look at how the former Fiorentina frontman can help the good times return to Turin.
The story so far
On fire throughout his final year-and-a-half in Florence, it was only a matter of time before Vlahovic got snapped up by one of Europe’s elite.
And he joined Italy’s most successful club in January amid reported interest from Arsenal and Tottenham.
From the start of 2020-21 until his final game for La Viola, Vlahovic scored 38 league goals at a remarkable rate of 0.71 per 90 minutes.
He notched 33 of those in 2021 alone, equalling Cristiano Ronaldo’s record for the most Serie A strikes in a calendar year since 1960.
Such exploits convinced Juve to splash out £63million for the 22-year-old, making him their fifth-most expensive signing of all time.
He has already started to repay that faith after netting four goals in his first nine appearances across all competitions for the Old Lady.
Instant impact
It took Vlahovic just 32 seconds to open his Champions League account — expertly finishing from close range to get Juve off to the perfect start in the first leg at Villarreal.
His only previous European appearance had come in Europa League qualifying for Partizan Belgrade as a 16-year-old, with that finish in Spain reflecting just how far he has come since then.
No Juve player has more than three Champions League goals to their name this term, so you would not bet against Vlahovic ending up as their top scorer in the competition.
Although Dani Parejo levelled the scores in last month’s reverse fixture, Vlahovic and Co remain favourites to progress past Unai Emery’s side into the last eight, giving their star forward plenty of opportunities to increase his tally.
Big boots to fill
Vlahovic has been tasked with filling boots which have sat empty since last summer — those of a certain Ronaldo.
The bulk of the Bianconeri’s goals went with the Portuguese’s departure for Manchester United. Alvaro Morata has struck 11 times in all competitions this term but the Spaniard’s streakiness has always been a concern.
Juve needed a reliable regular goalscorer and Vlahovic should be the solution. Across league and continental matches for the Old Lady, he is currently finding the net at a higher rate (0.66 goals per 90) than Morata has since returning to the club in September 2020 (0.49 per 90).
Performing under pressure
The further you go in the Champions League, the greater the pressure becomes — but Vlahovic will not be remotely perturbed by that burden.
Like the game’s greatest strikers, he scores goals in all shapes and sizes — and penalties should not be discounted when assessing his impact.
In his four-and-a-half years with Fiorentina, Vlahovic took 13 spot-kicks in Serie A and missed only one of them — an uncharacteristic Panenka attempt in his farewell appearance for La Viola against Genoa.
Should Allegri’s men be up against it in tonight’s encounter with the Yellow Submarine, expect Juve’s No7 to step up to the plate to deliver when it matters.
Emulating his idol
Vlahovic is known to idolise Zlatan Ibrahimovic — himself a Juve player between 2004 and 2006.
In fact, according to former Partizan assistant manager Zarko Lazetic, emulating him was the Belgrade native’s “obsession”.
And Vlahovic recently spoke of his admiration for the legendary Swede.
In an interview earlier this year, he said: “My idols are my dad, my mom, my sister. Then if we talk about players I certainly liked Ibra most for his character, his desire to never give up.
“What he did, he did it himself. We are talking about a player and a person. We all know what he is like.
“He never allows anyone to command him, then he has monstrous plays.”
The next Zlatan? Juventus would certainly take that from Vlahovic. He could certainly prove to be the most important piece of the puzzle as they look to mix it with Europe’s very best once again.
