Juve-Benfica, Vlahovic zero shots: because he is not convincing in the Champions League

by our correspondent Marco Guidi

September 15
– Torino

The comparison today does not hold up. While Haaland scored the former’s goal, sealing Manchester City’s comeback victory over Borussia Dortmund, Dusan Vlahovic snorted to find a useful ball and straighten Juventus’s bad night with Benfica. A titanic undertaking. With the illusion of the 2-2 goal thwarted by the assistant’s flag on a De Sciglio cross in clear offside. So the Serbian’s Champions League goals remain zero after two games, like the points of his Juve. Definitely soft start for a striker who (rightly) aspires to enter the Olympus of the best.

Also because his shoulder, that Arek Milik welcomed with lukewarmness by the square in the summer, when many were waiting for Depay, did his same last night. Paredes’ free kick is a great center forward. What is certainly also Vlahovic, who, however, has clearly lost the duel with Antonio Silva, born in 2003. So the lack of experience cannot be an alibi. Dusan struggled not only in the area, but also in dialogue with his teammates, as often happened to him during the season. And the difference with Milik is above all here, even before the goal. Not surprisingly, the Pole is already at three in action in 2022-23, while Vlahovic has scored only once, the first against Sassuolo on an assist from Di Maria, not counting the set pieces.

The numbers of the Serbian match are the picture of a complicated evening. No shot on goal, a single goal at the bottom, an attempt returned by an opponent, just eight successful passes (out of a total of 15), two offsides, eleven turnovers, six duels – all lost -, only one bank. Football is not everything in the figures, but it cannot be completely separated from them either.

In the last half hour, Massimiliano Allegri also played the Di Maria card to try to awaken his striker. Fideo tried, despite a precarious physical condition, and he even pulled a couple of spells out of that left foot that he uses as a cylinder, but it’s too little for today’s Vlahovic.

So far Dusan has scored one goal in four career Champions League matches, the one scored after a few seconds on his debut against Villarreal, in last season’s Champions League knockout round. The illusion of having found another monster from great European nights after Mbappé and Haaland, passed the generation of Ronaldo and Messi. Since then, however, Vlahovic has definitely not kept up with the other great scorers. The qualities are not discussed, but perhaps the comparisons are better postponed to the future. The present, for now, suggests taking it slow …