Complete Tactical Profile of Juventus Forward Paulo Dybala

Paulo Dybala has seemingly always been destined for great things. After all, he was born in the same Argentinian province, Cordoba, as Javier Pastore, Pablo Aimar and Franco Vazquez.

Expectation has always followed him.

For a long time, bold predictions about his potential have been made. Back in November 2014, the President of Dybala’s then-club Palermo, Maurizio Zamparini, told Mediaset (h/t Nick Dorrington for ESPN FC): “Within two years, he's going to be better than Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Zlatan Ibrahimovic. It would take €40 million to take him away from us”. 

Dybala might not quite have hit those heights yet. However, his development has accelerated dramatically. Palermo were not able to keep hold of the player, and last summer, he moved to Juventus. Zamparini was right about the fee, with Dybala costing €40 million including add-ons.

Already other clubs are hovering. Journalist Eduardo Inda recently told TV show El Chiringuito (h/t Ed Malyon of the Mirror): 

"

[Dybala] is number one on the list of possible signings for Real Madrid next season. He is interesting Barcelona, he's interesting Real Madrid and he's interesting PSG.

He's not at the level of Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi or Neymar but he's on the next rung down and could break that top level.

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Premier League clubs would doubtless also be interested. Arsenal were linked extensively with Dybala back in 2015, detailed by James Olley of the Evening Standard, before the player opted to remain in Serie A rather than move to the Premier League.

Although he stayed in the same country, he had to adapt his game with his new club. Speaking to reporters, he said of the move to Juve:

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When I arrived here, I altered my approach, understanding that to have a strong character means everything. For example, if I lose possession of the ball, I try my utmost to win it back.

I don't consider myself one of the leaders, as there are so many important and experienced players around, but wearing this shirt comes with a great responsibility and I feel that I've matured here.

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Dybala has to work hard because he effectively operates in two roles at once in Juventus’ system. The Bianconeri typically line up in a 3-5-2 formation, with Dybala operating as the deeper striker behind Mario Mandzukic. He is at once both a No. 10 and a penalty-box predator, dropping deep to collect the ball and support the midfield as well as feed off Mandzukic’s intelligent hold-up play. 

Dybala has adapted his game to be more like the man he replaced at Juventus: Carlos Tevez. Their shared nationality makes the comparison obvious, but there are more parallels than their Argentinian heritage, as Sky's Augusto De Bartolo explained to Gerard Brand of Sky Sports: 

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Dybala is very similar to Tevez in his style of play. He can play as a classic striker or as a forward free to roam on the flanks or in the middle, where I think he is best.

He is in and out of defenders, never giving them a reference point as to where he will move next, both with and without the ball. 

Like Tevez, he is useful in the non-possession phase, pressing opponents high up the pitch.

He is lethal in one-on-ones with the goalkeeper, has a superb first touch in front of goal and will shoot before the 'keeper has had a chance to set himself. 

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Dybala, like Tevez, is stocky with a low centre-of gravity. That enables him to turn away from defenders with relatively ease and makes him extremely difficult to knock off the ball. He’s deceptively quick too. If he's surrounded by a number of markers, Dybala has the skill to find his way through and the speed to escape them. That much is evident in his stats. Dybala was successful with 61 per cent of his attempted take-ons last season. That’s a terrific ratio and demonstrates his outrageous dribbling ability. 

There’s speed of thought to admire as well as pure pace. As De Bartolo suggested, Dybala has a useful habit of hitting his shots early with little backlift. That frequently leaves goalkeepers stranded, barely establishing their position before the ball is beyond them.

He’s also capable of scoring from range. Six of his 19 Serie A goals last season were struck from outside the box. Much of that is down to his excellent set-piece taking. Dybala has a cultured left foot and uncanny ability to lift the ball up over the wall by the narrowest of margins. The dip he gets on his free-kicks makes them a nightmare for 'keepers to deal with. 

He’s far more than just a goalscorer, though. Last season, Dybala created 73 goalscoring opportunities for his Juventus team-mates. That’s 19 more than the next-highest tally for the Turin outfit. Highly rated talents such as Paul Pogba and Juan Cuadrado couldn’t get close to matching Dybala's creative influence. Nine of the chances he created were converted, meaning he was directly involved in 28 of Juventus’ 75 Serie A goals in 2015/16.

Alessandro Di Marco/Associated Press

None of this is to suggest he is the complete player yet. For starters, he seems to require a physical partner such as Mandzukic in order to thrive. It remains to be seen how he would fare as a lone striker. Furthermore, he is not good in the air. The Argentinian won just 19 per cent of his headed duels last season. That’s unlikely to change, so the 5'9" attacker will have to adapt his game accordingly.

Nevertheless, his potential is clear. Dybala continues to make significant strides on the path to greatness. The experts all seem to agree he could be a truly world-class player—and on the evidence of his first season with Juventus, he is well on the way there.

Dybala turns 23 in November, and one can’t help but wonder whether he could explode in 2016/17 and make Zamparini’s prediction come true.

All stats in this article are per Squawka.