Paulo Dybala Returns to Form at the Perfect Time for Juventus

Let's just get this out of the way: Juventus were terrible against Udinese on Saturday evening. Playing at home against a team that had not won a game since beating AC Milan on September 11 and sacked coach Beppe Iachini as a result, this was a woeful performance.

Appointing former Juve boss Gigi Delneri appeared to immediately improve the Friulian side’s form, the Zebrette surprising their hosts with some intense pressure in the first half. After a mix-up between Patrice Evra and Hernanes, they even took a shock lead, Jakub Jankto beating Gigi Buffon with a shot from the edge of the area that the goalkeeper should have saved.

The Bianconeri looked poor and disjointed throughout the match, with any promising attacking move breaking down as soon as the ball found Mario Mandzukic. Indeed, despite netting four times in just 146 minutes of action for Croatia during the most recent international break, he once again appeared devoid of confidence in a Juventus shirt.

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He has yet to score for the club this term, and his presence meant the Old Lady continued to labour as she chased the game. Fortunately for her, Paulo Dybala was in no mood to let Udinese escape with three points, looking dangerous from the moment the game got underway.

The Argentina international had hit the side netting less than two minutes after the opening whistle before combining brilliantly with Juan Cuadrado to set up Stephan Lichtsteiner, who wasted a wonderful chance.

As the first half drew to a close, a free-kick on the edge of the area provided one last chance to equalise. Dybala immediately took control of the set piece, and his team-mates wisely allowed him to do so. Goalkeeper Orestis Karnezis stood no chance.

Unleashing a wonderful curling effort that dipped over the wall perfectly, the Juve man wheeled away in celebration long before the ball hit the back of the net, heading directly to the bench and seeking out only one man.

With his son still extremely ill, Leonardo Bonucci had been given time off ahead of the game, but an injury to Giorgio Chiellini forced Allegri to add him to the squad on Saturday afternoon, per the club's official website.

“I have a wonderful rapport with Leo," Dybala told Sky Italia (h/t Football Italia). "We all know what happened and I promised before the game that if I scored, I’d run over to hug him. He’s got a heart of gold.”

Speaking before the match, Bonucci discussed the situation, explaining that his son was improving and telling Mediaset Premium that he was glad to be part of the group once again (h/t Football Italia):

"

I won’t get to rest, but that’s fine. I like to always be with my team-mates. In fact, I was a bit jealous sitting at home, but it has been an unusual time. Now Matteo is feeling good and we are all happy.

Tonight my family is here in the stadium and that is the best news for me.

"

He clearly appreciated the gesture from Dybala, but his young friend still had work to do. Returning to action after the break, he continued to torment Udinese, repeatedly causing their defence problems as Juve sought a second goal.

It would arrive from the penalty spot, the visitors punished when Rodrigo De Paul tripped Alex Sandro just inside the box. Again Dybala stepped up, and again he made no mistake, sending the 'keeper the wrong way to put the Bianconeri ahead, a lead they would never relinquish.

Buffon atoned for his earlier error with a crucial one-handed save to deny a Dias Felipe header and ensure the home side took all three points. But there was little doubt they owed them almost exclusively to Dybala.

Having criticised the 22-year-old in a previous column for dropping too deep and limiting his own impact, it must be said that he was back to his effervescent best during this difficult encounter.

With a plethora of injuries, the taxing international break and a looming UEFA Champions League clash with Olympique Lyonnais, Juventus had every excuse for their poor showing. Yet despite those around him woefully underperforming, Dybala simply refused to allow them to accept anything other than victory. He would not be denied, no matter the circumstances.

The FourFourTwo StatsZone graphic in the tweet above highlights that his impact went beyond his presence on the scoresheet, although he did weigh in with five shots and hit the target with three of them.

But he also terrified Udinese with his running on the ball, completing both his take-on attempts as he repeatedly drove at the heart of their defence. Furthermore, Dybala connected with 28 of his 32 pass attempts (87.5 per cent), almost all of them pleasingly coming in the opposition half of the field.

“Our play must be based around occupying the space without the coach necessarily needing to say so," Juve boss Massimiliano Allegri said at his post-match press conference. With that in mind, he can't fail to have been impressed by Dybala's display.

Constantly probing for gaps, he popped up all across the front line, his movement key to the few cohesive moves the Bianconeri pieced together here. The WhoScored.com graphic in the tweet above shows just how involved Dybala was, a performance in stark contrast with some of his early-season outings.

Indeed, in September's Champions League clash with Sevilla, Opta noted that neither Dybala nor strike partner Gonzalo Higuain had touched the ball in the opposition penalty area during an entire 45 minutes of play:

While the obvious response would be to disparage Udinese and praise Sevilla, the statistics from each match tell a different story. Juventus dominated the Spanish side, with WhoScored.com showing they enjoyed 56 per cent of possession. They should have won that match, which ended 0-0.

There was no such control on Saturday, however, with the same source noting that the home side mustered a mere 49.1 per cent of possession. Leaning on the common wisdom that champions always find a way to grind out victories, Allegri told Sky Italia (h/t Football Italia) that "Scudetti are won via games like this" shortly after the final whistle.

Paolo Giovannini/Associated Press/Associated Press

Without wishing to be overly reductive, the difference between the two matches was simply the manner and mindset of Dybala. Playing much closer to goal with far greater purpose and intent, he carried Juventus to victory in a game they could easily have lost.

His importance to the club cannot be understated, and he—along with Bonucci—seems set for a new contract soon. Speaking before the Udinese clash, director general Beppe Marotta told Mediaset Premium that Dybala and Bonucci's wages would be adjusted to bring them in line with Juve’s top earners (h/t Football Italia).

Given these kind of match-winning performances, that is no surprise; this is the player the Bianconeri need if they are to be successful. The rest of the team just needs to reach a similar level. Lyon on Tuesday would be a good place to start.