There’s no way to dress it up, he was dropped. After struggling to make an impact in the first few games of the season, Max Allegri decided to take Paulo Dybala out of his starting XI, a choice that was instantly vindicated by excellent performances from Federico Bernardeschi and Douglas Costa.
Both are much more natural wingers and as such were ideally suited to the 4-3-3 formation the Juventus boss used in those games, but there was no denying that their Argentinian team-mate was not comfortable with it. The presence of Cristiano Ronaldo and the excellent form of Mario Mandzukic meant that Dybala was pushed into a role wide on the right, with the central area he loves to occupy already full.
“He didn’t play because I had to make tactical choices,” Max Allegri said at a press conference, before warning reporters that he didn’t appreciate the excess criticism levelled at his no.10. “However, I do not like the pressure people are putting on Dybala, because if he plays tomorrow and doesn’t have a great performance, you in the media are going to destroy him,” the Coach continued. “You are the ones who want him on the pitch and can’t wait to tear him apart.”
That came just before the match with Sassuolo, at the end of which Dybala’s 2018/19 season had seen him manage a total of 190 minutes of action and take just four shots. Failing to register a single goal or assist, the fact that he had scored seven times in his first four appearances last term only served to underline how ineffective he had been and would prompt Allegri to make a switch.
Two weeks after that clash, the Coach opted for a 3-5-2 system against Bologna, pairing Dybala and Ronaldo in attack. The improvement almost instantaneous. Juve ran out 2-0 winners but it could easily have been more, with the 24-year-old at his highly dangerous best. He scored, created no fewer than six chances for others and delivered a performance laden with numerous tricks and flicks that left opposition defenders chasing shadows.
Allegri knew he had to accommodate Dybala and allow him such freedom so, as the Bianconeri took on Napoli, he changed once again. Playing him behind Mandzukic and Ronaldo in a 4-3-1-2 formation saw another excellent display, with last night’s Champions League clash with Young Boys always set to provide him a much bigger chance to shine.
It was one of two early kickoff games which meant an even bigger audience would be tuned in, while Ronaldo’s one-match suspension for his red card against Valencia meant that the opportunity was even greater. From the outset, Dybala was in the mood to deliver and when Leonardo Bonucci picked him out with an inch-perfect long ball, the nonchalant ease with which the striker volleyed home a difficult chance show just how much quality he has.
That was only the start of course as he bagged two more goals to become only the fourth Juve player after Alessandro Del Piero, Pippo Inzaghi and Arturo Vidal to bag a Champions League hat trick. Proudly taking home the match ball, the man himself could not have been happier to have had such a breakout game.
“I wanted to have a game like this,” Dybala told Sky Italia shortly after the final whistle. “Obviously, a player always wants to play. Last season I had the opposite, as I started with a lot of goals and then lost my way a little. Being left out made me work harder and get back into shape, so I am taking full advantage of that now.”
He certainly did just that against the Swiss side, with the graphic in the tweet above showing just how deadly his impact was and Allegri was equally pleased to see such a display from his young charge.
“I’m happy for him, he is improving and playing with greater consistency, but everyone played well this evening and showed maturity against an organised Young Boys side,” the Juve boss told JTV. “I’ve always said that Dybala’s greatest quality is his ability to make the team play and then go to finish off the move at the end. Tonight he did that brilliantly.”
If they are to enjoy success this term, they will need him at that unstoppable best, the presence of Ronaldo alone certainly not enough to guarantee the victory in Europe that the club so sorely crave.
With two wins out of two and back-to-back clashes with Manchester United looming on the horizon, Paulo Dybala has ensured Juventus are on the right track, now it’s up to Max Allegri to keep them there.
