Paulo Dybala helped Juventus maintain their healthy advantage at the top of Serie A with an assist and some slick footwork in the build-up to the second goal in their 2-0 victory over Chievo Verona on Saturday. But tougher challenges await for both him and his side when they host Barcelona on Tuesday in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final.
It will be a chance for Dybala to prove on the European stage what those who follow Juventus and Italian football already know: he is a special talent.
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That judgement is backed up by the manner in which the 23-year-old has adapted to a slightly different role in his second season at Juventus following his big-money move from Palermo. Whereas previously he did the majority of his work in the final third, the arrival of Gonzalo Higuain has seen him drop off more regularly towards midfield to assist in the construction of play.
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His direct goal contribution has dropped from a goal or assist every 88 minutes to one every 118 minutes in league play, but he sees more of the ball and distributes it in a more varied manner. Despite some fitness issues and criticism at times this season, Dybala is maturing as a player and revelling in the extra responsibility handed to him by coach Max Allegri.
“I am enjoying the role of a trequartista,” he said in January. “Allegri is giving me a lot of space and I can express myself well there.”
Potential to improve
Dybala has now established himself at club level but is yet to really settle into international football with Argentina. Sporadic appearances since his debut in October 2015 have so far yielded more dismissals (one) than goals (zero). He had been scheduled to start against Chile during the recently concluded international break, only for injury to rule him out.
The Cordoba native is still feeling his way into the national team setup at an awkward time of institutional disarray and generational turnover, but it seems likely to only be a matter of a time before Argentina are able to join Juventus in enjoying the full range of his talent.
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Wonderfully fluid with the ball at his feet, intelligent in his movement and decisive in and around the area, Dybala is a constant menace. Add a touch of devilment to those qualities and it is easy to see why those who have come into contact with him have no doubt that he is a star in the making.
“He is exceptional but he still has a lot of potential,” says Tottenham Hotspur coach Mauricio Pochettino. “He has the quality to one day win the Ballon d’Or,” says his club coach Allegri. “In two or three years, Dybala is going to be a tremendous player,” says his national team coach Edgardo Bauza.
The next great forward?
Given that they are both Argentinian, highly skilled and left footed, it is perhaps unsurprising that some have drawn comparisons between Dybala and Lionel Messi, the all-conquering Barcelona forward who will line up against him on Tuesday.
But such comparisons are unhelpful. Messi is a once-in-a-lifetime talent and they are different players in different circumstances. In addition, his gait, sharp changes of direction and general playing style are probably more reminiscent of another yet Argentinian: Omar Sivori, the great Juventus forward of the late 1950s and early 1960s.
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“Dybala has the determination, class and ability to produce genius plays in decisive moments that Sivori had,” former Juventus coach Marcelo Lippi noted last month.
And it is the opportunity to follow in the footsteps of the likes of Sivori and a more recent Juventus hero Alessandro Del Piero that appears to drive Dybala. Despite interest from other clubs, he recently stated that he is more than happy where he is and is looking forward to building a legacy for himself in Turin.
It is on nights such as Tuesday that such legacies are built. If he can give his side a helping hand in overcoming Barcelona and pushing them towards to the final four of the Champions League, Dybala will edge a step closer towards establishing himself as the next great forward of Argentinian and European football.
