Comparing Carlos Tevez's 2014/15 Stats to His 2013/14 Numbers
The 2014-15 campaign has been good for everyone connected to Juventus, with Massimiliano Allegri’s side surpassing pre-season expectations by not only looking certain to clinch a fourth consecutive Serie A title but also reaching the quarter-final of the Champions League and the Coppa Italia final.
Holding a narrow 1-0 lead over AS Monaco ahead of next week’s second leg, they could yet reach the last four of Europe’s elite competition for the first time since 2003. Throughout the team there have been some incredible contributions, with Claudio Marchisio and Leonardo Bonucci—whose impact was discussed at length here—proving especially vital as many around them suffered with injuries.
When looking for the standout player of the season, however, it is impossible to overlook what Carlos Tevez has accomplished. Arriving from Manchester City in the summer of 2013, he enjoyed a phenomenal debut campaign and yet he seems to have raised the bar even higher just 12 months later.
In the simplest of terms, his first year saw the 31-year-old net 20 goals in all competitions, adding eight assists, while Saturday’s strike against Lazio in the 2-0 win was his 26th of the season and he has already matched last year’s assist tally.
Looking a little deeper, the improvements become even more apparent, with the Argentinian registering better statistics in almost every facet of his game. Strangely, one area in which he has slipped slightly is in the accuracy of his shooting as, according to figures from Squawka.com, Tevez hit the target with 59 percent of his 92 shots in 2013-14 and just 56 percent of 75 strikes this term.
That is certainly not the case with his other attributes, with the pace and technique displayed in a November goal against Parma sparking a viral trend with “things Tevez could dribble” quickly spreading across the world.
Again, statistics from the Squawka website prove there is substance to the craze, Tevez completing 51 of his 90 take-ons in 2014-15 (57 percent) compared to 44 percent (51 of 116 attempts) last season. Seeing defences panic as he runs at them has not increased the number of fouls he has suffered, however, with WhoScored.com showing his average of 1.7 last term has dipped slightly to 1.6 per game this time around.
The player himself believes that improvement in his ability to beat players is largely down to the tactical alterations made by his coach, telling El Pais (h/t Football Italia) that he has “more freedom of movement than under Conte.” Those changes have certainly benefited both the team and its leading striker in Europe, with Tevez arguably making his greatest impact in the Champions League.
In the continental competition he has delivered a string of superb performances, erasing the painful memory of last season’s woeful showing which saw Juventus eliminated at the group stage. From the outset he seemed on a one-man crusade this term, ending a staggering goal drought in the very first game against Malmo FF.
His opening goal of that game was his first in the competition since April 7, 2009 when he scored for Manchester United against FC Porto. Tevez added a second against the Swedish side and has registered a total of six goals in eight Champions League appearances this term.
His play has led to an Argentina recall, but it has also seen him continually linked with a return to former club Boca Juniors, although the man himself says such talk is premature, downplaying the chances of a summer exit immediately after the win over Lazio.
“All my thoughts are focused on Juventus, there’s too much talk around,” he told reporters, per Juventus.com. “I want to enjoy this extraordinary moment here. People saying I’m going isn’t right: when I decide to leave, the supporters will be the first to know.”
Allegri perhaps summed up the contribution of the man tasked with continuing the traditions of the Bianconeri No. 10 shirt at a recent press conference. “Tevez is having an extraordinary season, and he must continue that, because we haven’t reached any goals and still have two months to go,” the coach said per Football Italia, adding that the striker is “indispensable.”
With the striker playing the way he has all year it is impossible to argue with that assessment, and those targets draw ever closer as Carlos Tevez repeatedly fires Juventus to glory.
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