Mario Mandzukic Underlines Importance to Juventus with Two Goals vs. Carpi

While it might not have looked that way early in the campaign, Juventus can head into Serie A’s winter break feeling good about their prospects for the second half of the season, thanks in part to Mario Mandzukic’s goals that helped to see off a spirited Carpi side this weekend.

Indeed, after winning just three of their opening 10 league games, the reigning champions have reeled off seven straight victories. That streak has seen them quickly climb the table, and they are currently sitting in fourth place after being as low as 14th before that run began.

The team has begun to jell over that period, with new signings like Alex Sandro, Sami Khedira and Juan Cuadrado each making telling contributions. Fellow summer arrival Paulo Dybala has been widely lauded, too, with the former Palermo man weighing in with 10 goals and three assists in all competitions thus far.

Simone Zaza ended a spell on the sidelines with two goals in Juve’s midweek Coppa Italia triumph over Torino, but on Sunday, Mandzukic showed why he has quickly established himself as the ideal partner for Dybala in attack.

After the Bianconeri fell behind just 14 minutes into the game with Carpi, it was an instinctive finish from the Croatian that drew the sides level as he hooked the ball into the net following a goalmouth scramble.

He was not done there, however, and would continue to harass the opposition defence, working tirelessly to close them down whenever Juve lost possession. A second chance came his way before half-time, and Mandzukic made no mistake as he planted a firm header beyond goalkeeper Vid Belec.

As the tweet above highlights, the brace came from Mandzukic’s only two touches in the Carpi penalty area, showing just how deadly he can be when on form. It also saw him take his tally of goals to nine in all competitions, starting with a strike on his debut as he helped the Bianconeri lift the Supercoppa Italiana.

That shot against Lazio back in August began a sequence of vital contributions from the 29-year-old, who has since gone on to net match-winning goals in difficult encounters against Manchester City and Fiorentina.

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Coach Massimiliano Allegri publicly recognised the striker’s contribution last month, speaking to reporters from TV stations Sky Italia and Mediaset Premium after Mandzukic opened the scoring in a 3-0 win over Palermo.

“He might not be the classiest player with the best technique, but he has characteristics that are useful for this team,” the Juve boss said (h/t Football Italia). “He gave his contribution, the numbers speak for him.

As the graphic in the tweet below shows, it was a similar story as he put Carpi to the sword at the Stadio Alberto Braglia. Netting with his only two shots on goal, Mandzukic’s other stats were relatively poor, completing just 29 of his 40 pass attempts but recovering the ball on three occasions.

That last figure fits with his reputation as a hard-working player, with WhoScored.com showing he has averaged 1.2 tackles and 0.2 interceptions per game in 2015/16.

It is that defensive effort—as well as his accuracy in front of goal—that has seen him move ahead of Alvaro Morata in the pecking order for the Turin giants, with the latter now forced to settle for a place on the bench.

Perhaps the ultimate test for Mandzukic will come in the new year, as the UEFA Champions League draw sees him set to go against his former club just as his Spanish team-mate did last term.

Juventus now will hope “Super Mario” can replicate Morata’s impact against Real Madrid and help them eliminate Bayern Munich.