Juventus Hoping Paulo Dybala Can Continue to Fill Void Left by Carlos Tevez

One of the hidden casualties at Juventus this summer was the fact that Carlos Tevez’s decision to move back to Argentina earlier than planned robbed Paulo Dybala of the opportunity to learn from his compatriot.

Having seen the application, effort and professionalism displayed by the former during his time in Turin, the impact his guidance could have on the latter is immeasurable. By passing on the lessons gleaned from his stellar career, Tevez would have undoubtedly been able to help Dybala settle into life with the Bianconeri.

Having notched an impressive 13 goals and 10 assists for Palermo in 2014/15, the Serie A champions moved to sign Dybala at a cost of €32 million—with potentially a further €8 million in bonuses—per their official website.

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However, Tevez would subsequently agree to return to Boca Juniors shortly afterwards, meaning the youngster would not be given that chance to work closely with the former Manchester United man at club level.

Coach Massimiliano Allegri has treated the 21-year-old with care, often bringing him off the bench rather than thrusting him directly into the starting XI, and has been rewarded with some superb early displays.

Dybala netted the second goal of Juve’s Supercoppa Italiana victory over Lazio shortly after coming on as a substitute, following that up by scoring against AS Roma on his first Serie A start. Slotting home a penalty in last weekend’s 3-1 victory over Bologna took his tally to four in his first nine games for the Bianconeri.

More than just his goals, Dybala is proving to be a constant problem for defenders, blending pace and power in a manner eerily similar to the way Tevez often bustled his way past helpless opponents with ease.

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According to statistics courtesy of WhoScored.com, he has completed an average of 2.5 dribbles per game, a figure bettered only by Juan Cuadrado (3.2) and Roberto Pereyra (2.7) among his current team-mates.

Bologna’s over-matched players certainly only had one way of preventing Dybala skipping past them on Sunday, fouling him continually throughout the game, with a number ending up receiving yellow cards as a result.

Yet just like Tevez, his work rate when not in possession has also caught the eye. That is arguably the one facet of his play that time alongside the veteran star would have affected most, but it seems to be a lesson Dybala has already learned.

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Constantly pressing the ball and working hard to recover it, the dedication and application to the defensive side of the game that are hallmarks of Tevez’s play are very evident in Dybala’s early displays.

It was something the player touched upon shortly after joining Juventus, already insisting that his transfer was the perfect motivation to improve. “You can never ease off," he said to JTV (h/t FourFourTwo). “I’ve been here a couple of days and it’s a big change for me. I hope I’m able to develop into a top player here.”

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Dybala has clearly begun to do so, his performances have been rewarded with a maiden call up to the Argentinian national team, and boss Gerardo Martino singled him out for praise in an interview earlier this week.

“He’s a player with enormous potential, he’s become a star in one of the toughest leagues in the world,” the coach told Diario Ole (h/t Football Italia). “Now he has to assert himself with Juventus, which is as it would be if he was playing in Argentina for River Plate or Boca Juniors.”

Joining up with the Albiceleste will also present him with an opportunity to train alongside Tevez, perhaps picking up a few pointers from the man who lifted Juventus to the Champions League final last term.

Dybala may not yet be at that level, but he has made an excellent start to life with La Madama as he attempts to fill the void left by the departure of Tevez.