ALVISE CAGNAZZO: Former golden boy Paulo Dybala has quickly become Jose Mourinho’s man at Roma
While Juventus are entrenched in a rut of discouraging form, Paulo Dybala is flourishing at Roma.
The former golden boy, who struggled to reach his full potential in Turin, has become the man in the capital. His iconic tattoo — inspired by the bracelets worn by gladiators in battle — was perhaps destined to perform at the Olympic Stadium, Rome’s modern-day Colosseum.
And Dybala, who has now entered the second half of his career having missed 371 days of football through injury across the seven years at Juventus, has become an entirely different player.
Paulo Dybala is flourishing at Roma after Juventus let him go on a free transfer this summer
Profiting from a fresh tactical set-up, the Argentine is no longer asked to adapt to those around him, as he had to at Bianconeri. Instead, in Rome, Dybala has become the star.
Jose Mourinho has studied the 28-year-old’s skillset and carved out his ideal role. Dybala is not required to run for 90 minutes. He does not have to recover the ball in front of the defense and sprint back into the midfield.
The forward is instead asked to stick predominantly to the final third, leaning heavily on Tammy Abraham’s support play, in an effort to take advantage of his movements.
MOURINHO FLICKS SWITCH IN DYBALA
The hands-on-hips mentality that Dybala so often displayed in Juventus has been stamped out by Mourinho. The Portuguese boss simply will not stand for it, not even in training.
Where Inter and Atletico were afraid to bet on the Argentine this summer, Mourinho pictured the arc of a redemption story.
Dybala cut a frustrated figure in Turin but Jose Mourinho has quickly changed his mentality
Roma may have been viewed as a form of purgatory for Dybala, who had to relinquish his Champions League status after seven years in Turin, but the attacker ultimately viewed the move as a positive next chapter, keen to avoid the possibility of ending his career at a small Italian or Spanish club following more years of unrest at Juventus.
Mourinho realised it was the best time to lure Dybala to Trigoria and played a large part in convincing him.
DYBALA RELISHES REGULAR GAME TIME
During his seven-year spell at Juventus, Dybala only played the first six matches of the Serie A season once. Starting the season strongly is something he only remembered from his Palermo days.
In 2014, during his second season with the Sicilian outfit, the then 21-year-old reached 484 minutes in his first six matches, only 11 minutes more than his tally so far this campaign.
The Argentine international had struggled for consistent game time at Juventus since 2017
Now, his physique seems regenerated, his heart is pumping out enthusiasm and his muscle fibers look stronger than ever.
Perhaps his dream reunion with ex-Palermo hitman Andrea Belotti has rekindled Dybala’s joy for football. Having spent almost a decade apart, the strikers get to relive their first truly great experience of Serie A, entertaining spectators with exceptional goals.
JUVE MARRED BY POGBA AND DI MARIA INJURIES
On a personal level, Dybala struggled to reach the lofty heights he showed in 2017, failing to score as much as he did during his early days in Turin.
But now, after three goals and two assists in six matches, the Argentine has proven he cans still flourish in the correct environment.
Ex-Real Madrid and PSG star Angel Di Maria joined Juventus on a free transfer this summer
In many ways, Paul Pogba and Angel Di Maria were brought in on free transfers this summer to avoid any ill-feeling amongst Juventus fans for letting Dybala leave — but his departure is still a great regret for the supporters and the club.
Meanwhile, with Pogba and Di Maria, fans have grown to understand just how unlikely it is that their new signings feature in half the matches this season.
Questionable choices surrounding how Pogba has managed his meniscus tear has caused friction between the Frenchman and the Juventus medical team, who had supported the need for immediate surgery from day one.
Paul Pogba – pictured with Leonardo Bonucci – needs to undergo surgery for his meniscus tear
With Di Maria playing one game a month and Pogba losing 45 days to surgery, Juventus seem to have caught the rotten end of the deal this summer.
Both are on a far higher wage than Dybala was and the 28-year-old is excelling in Rome.
Ironically, the club has chosen to send away a player with physical problems in order to buy two new players who are almost always injured.