Vlahovic the irreplaceable: the unlock-Juve aims for Monza

Journalist

December 22 – 12.32pm – MILANO

Dusan Vlahovic has an average of 0.6 goals for each match played this season for Juventus; Juventus, on the other hand, did not go beyond 0.33 per match in the period in which the Serbian was unavailable. This data would be enough to explain how much the offensive production of Thiago Motta's team rests its foundations on the performances of its center forward, but the importance of the man with the number 9 on his shoulders is certainly not limited to a statistic. For an attacker, inflated goals count, of course, but in the economy of a match and a season, leadership, role in the maneuver, consistency, commitment in training and so on also count. The certainty is that this evening too Motta will rely mainly on him to dissolve the curse of the “draw” that has trapped Juventus in the last month of Serie A.

There is no two without three

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Since Vlahovic requested a change to Serbia last November 18 due to a strain on the flexors of his left thigh, the Bianconeri have never won a championship match again. A month and a half has now passed since the derby on 9 November and there is still no sign of the victory: after the static 0-0 at Milan's home came the 1-1 draw in Lecce (a success that vanished at the last minute ) and then the double 2-2 at home against Bologna and Venice, two points secured in injury time to preserve the unbeaten championship, certainly not the good mood. However, since he became available again at the beginning of the month, Vlahovic has already shown that he has the pedigree to get the team back on track: first he opened the stage for the feat against Manchester City which now gives the team hope for a place in the round of 16 of the Champions League final, then on Tuesday came the opening goal in the 4-0 win over Cagliari in the Italian Cup, a competition of which the Bianconeri are the reigning champions. While waiting for the Italian Super Cup at the beginning of 2025, now only Serie A is missing.

Vices and taboos

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Certainly a new draw, even at the home of Monza who are fighting not to be relegated, would be a gigantic disappointment and yet another misstep in the chase for that place in the next Champions League which seems less and less to be taken for granted. Always exploring the ins and outs of Vlahovic's career, Dusan has never scored against the Brianza players who he will visit at the U-Power Stadium this evening (8.45pm). Furthermore, he has never even impressed Fiorentina who will arrive at the Allianz Stadium next Sunday and therefore a double “first time” mission awaits the centre-forward to face above all to help the team get back up in the standings. The Venice trap has already taught us that after a midweek party you have to work even harder to avoid running into an ambush. It would be the umpteenth in a season in which the challenges to the so-called “small” teams in the championship have proven to be the most complex to resolve.

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Like oxygen

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Finally, the first four months of the season have also reiterated how – whatever happens – Vlahovic's role will always be central in the Juventus world, in the eyes of Juventus fans as well as those of football fans more generally: the angry celebrations, the long faces for the failed goals, the big smiles for the man of the match awards, the disagreement with a fan and also the void left when he had to stop due to a muscle problem. He is always at the center of everything, irreplaceable in terms of importance in the team, personality and status. On the other hand, he is the Serie A player with the most goals scored (24) in the calendar year 2024, without him Juventus has never won a match, only receiving anonymous draws and has an average goal per match (0.60 ) which is almost double (0.33) that of the entire team in the three matches he missed. After the Champions League and the Italian Cup, we look to him to also unblock Serie A and to find the antidote to the draw: the one from Serie A – record in the first round, never so few victories in the 2000s -, and the away one (never a longer streak in the Third Millennium). Dusan, take care of it.