Paulo Dybala and Daniele Rugani Continue to Shine as Juventus Defeat South China

Juventus played the third game of their pre-season tour on Saturday, taking on South China at Hong Kong Stadium and eventually emerging as 2-1 winners.

The team will now return to Europe, with their next fixture scheduled to take place against West Ham United at London’s Olympic Stadium on August 7.

When they reach the UK, the Bianconeri will be further bolstered by the return of a number of international stars, with their Italian contingent set to begin training with the team from Monday.

Yet, in their absence, a number of other players have come to the fore, with new signing Medhi Benatia arguably chief among them. Just as he did against Tottenham Hotspur in Australia, the former Bayern Munich and AS Roma defender found his name on the scoresheet against South China.

After Miralem Pjanic’s free-kick took a deflection, and amid something of a scramble, Benatia controlled the ball superbly before slotting past the goalkeeper with remarkable ease. Their opponents equalised before half-time, but after Stefano Padovan’s shot was spilled, 21-year-old Lorenzo Rosseti prodded home the rebound to seal the victory.

However, if the likes of Benatia and Pjanic have shone brightest, this summer tour has also reinforced the importance of two Juventus players who have risked being overshadowed in recent weeks.

Gonzalo Higuain’s arrival from Napoli was confirmed on July 26, with the club’s official website revealing the Old Lady had paid an incredible €90 million to sign the Argentinian striker from their Serie A rivals.

The former Real Madrid star netted a league record 36 goals in just 35 appearances last term, but Paulo Dybala showed against Melbourne Victory, Tottenham and South China that he too remains a vibrant attacking force.

The 22-year-old was sensational in 2015/16, shrugging off his own high transfer fee to deliver consistently excellent performances as he weighed in with 21 goals and 10 assists in all competitions.

Matthias Schrader/Associated Press

Questions will need to be answered about how they will work in tandem, but coach Massimilano Allegri appears to be more than happy with the plethora of new arrivals who will be at his disposal next term.

"Higuain is a great signing just like Pjanic, Dani Alves, [Marko] Pjaca and Benatia," the coach said at a press conference this weekend. "The club is doing a great job in this transfer window."

Meanwhile, Dybala sat beside Allegri and explained to reporters that he had already spoken to his compatriot and was looking forward to working alongside him in the black and white stripes of Juventus:

"

I got to know Gonzalo in the national team, that’s how our friendship began. We exchanged plenty of messages over the past few days and he told me how much he wanted to play here. He’ll be happy now and we’re delighted to welcome a footballer of his calibre to this club.

"

That—as well as Dybala’s special video message to Higuain (shown below)—bodes well for the forthcoming campaign, and it was a sentiment echoed by the new arrival when he addressed the media at his unveiling earlier in the week.

"I've enjoyed linking up with Paulo on international duty and really appreciated the video he sent to welcome me!" Higuain said at his introductory press conference. "He is a fantastic player, and I’m excited to see what we can achieve together, hoping we can move the club forward in the coming years."

However, while the world waits to see their partnership on the field, Dybala used Juve’s pre-season tour to remind onlookers at just how good he can be. Tearing through defences with superb skill and control, the former Palermo man has been a constant outlet for his team-mates in their three outings so far.

Having tormented Melbourne in the first match, it took him fewer than six minutes to put Spurs to the sword on Tuesday. Roberto Pereyra pounced on some poor concentration in the Tottenham defence and quickly passed the ball to Dybala, who made no mistake as he slotted past the goalkeeper from 12 yards.

It was the same story against South China. The Cordoba native ran his markers into the ground as the hosts had little answer to his endless running and abundance of energy. Dybala was a creative force for Juventus last season, with the Squawka graphic below showing he laid on a team-high 73 scoring opportunities, 19 more than any other player.

squawka.com

Higuain will thrive on such superb service, his deadly finishing likely to be a major weapon for the Bianconeri as they bid to add a much-coveted UEFA Champions League title to their continued domestic success.

All of the new signings have discussed the need to shine in Europe’s elite competition, with none of them better placed to assess their chances than Dani Alves, who lifted the "cup with the big ears" three times during his time with Barcelona.

"The club's dream is to win the Champions League, and I hope to help them achieve this," the Brazilian said at his first press conference in Turin. "We need to believe we can win the Champions League if we're going to do it. Juve have a great dream and I want to make it a reality."

Frank Augstein/Associated Press

His experience will certainly help on that front, as will the addition of Benatia. Yet, much like Dybala, youngster Daniele Rugani has shown already this summer that he possesses a level of ability that should not be forgotten no matter how many glamorous names arrive.

Arguably now the fifth-choice player in central defence, he turned in some thoroughly accomplished displays while Andrea Barzagli, Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini enjoyed an extended holiday.

The former Empoli man turned 22 on July 29 but struggled for space in the side during the course of 2015/16. Making just 11 starts in Serie A, he was linked with a move to Napoli following the signing of Benatia but told reporters in Australia that he was only focused on improving his play at Juve.

"I haven’t read, nor have I heard of the rumours surrounding my future," Rugani said, per Football Italia. "I’m thinking about getting in the best possible condition and giving the Coach a selection headache."

Given the quality of those around him, he is unquestionably in the best place to improve and to win, much like many of the other promising young players currently beginning to emerge at Juventus.

Dybala and Rugani have already shown they can thrive in 2016/17, no matter who else arrives at Juventus. As they prepare for their more illustrious team-mates to return to action, both have made their own cases to Allegri, and they will now hope to be given the chance to continue doing so.