Why Mario Mandzukic Alone Cannot Replace Carlos Tevez at Juventus

There is little doubt remaining over just how important Carlos Tevez has been for Juventus over the past two seasons. Since arriving in Turin in August 2013, the Argentinian striker has been the club’s best and most influential player, winning games single-handedly and lifting the performances of those around him.

As discussed in this previous column, losing him would be a major blow to the Bianconeri, but the career of the 31-year-old has taught us it is futile to stand in his way once he has made the decision it is time to move on.

Clearly ready for a return to his homeland and former club Boca Juniors, per Selene Scarsi of ESPN, Juventus have seemingly moved quickly to secure Mario Mandzukic as a replacement.

On Monday morning, the Croatian was pictured arriving for his medical with the Turin giants, with La Stampa reporting that the club have agreed a deal worth around €18 million with Atletico Madrid (h/t Football Italia).

The move was also confirmed by Massimiliano Allegri, but the 47-year-old was eager to point out that it will not fall on one man to plug the gap left by the departure of their leading scorer, instead believing that an array of options will be enough to continue their success.

"We don't have to replace him. What we have to do is sign players and study the way they play," the coach told Sky Sport Italia (h/t FourFourTwo). “Mandzukic is on his way and we have [Simone] Zaza, [Kingsley] Coman, [Alvaro] Morata and [Paulo] Dybala, young players with a lot of quality.”

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While Allegri may well be proved correct in his analysis—as he has been so often since arriving at Juventus last summer—there is little doubt that all eyes will be on Mandzukic when the 2015/16 gets under way.

In that same interview, the coach offered a little insight into why the club had targeted the 29-year-old, going on to say: "Mandzukic has scored everywhere he has played. He has a lot of personality and plays at international level. He'll do a good job. We signed him because he was the player we wanted. I'm really happy because that was our choice."

Looking back on the player’s career so far shows just how accurate that assessment is, as he had already netted 100 career goals before his €13 million move to Bayern Munich in the summer of 2012.

He stayed with the Bavarian giants for two seasons, lifting the Bundesliga title twice and helping the team win the Champions League as part of their memorable treble in 2013. Adding the German and UEFA Super Cups, as well as the FIFA World Club Cup, Mandzukic would score 48 times in just 88 appearances before leaving for Spain.

Later, he told Sportske Novosti that he realised “there was no future for me” at the Allianz Arena, adding that Pep Guardiola “didn’t treat me with respect,” (h/t Football Espana). With Atleti, he bagged 20 goals in all competitions for the third consecutive season, his playing style meshing perfectly with Diego Simeone’s approach to the game.

Andres Kudacki/Associated Press

Like Tevez, Mandzukic will bring non-stop running, a tireless work ethic and incredible stamina to Juventus, but the two men are very different players. The Argentinian is a much more creative player, weighing in with eight assists in 2014/15. Statistics from Squawka show he also laid on 61 scoring chances for his team-mates last season.

The same source shows Mandzukic, whose strengths clearly lie in other facets of the game, created just 23 such opportunities. Clearly not likely to beat his defender with a flash of skill like Tevez, the Croatian will rely on those around him to give him an opening, which he will hope to take advantage of with his clinical finishing ability.

As Allegri noted, one man cannot replace Carlos Tevez. However, in Mario Mandzukic, Juventus have found one who can score goals at a similar rate, and they will certainly need that next season.