Dybala shines again at Juventus! Did Ronaldo’s departure help him?

In the recent past, Paulo Dybala was one of the footballers who had a very bright future. But when he finally settled down and started to shine, the star Cristiano Ronaldo came to Juventus. Since then, the skilful Argentine has not fared so well. But now the Portuguese is gone and Dybala has come back to life.

It was the 2017/18 season. Juventus won another title, won the Italian Cup. Only in the Champions League was it already eliminated in the quarter-finals by Real Madrid. Paulo Dybala was finally the main driving force of the team, and it had been expected for some time when the Turin team would finally stand on his person.

The Argentine played 46 competitive matches that season, scoring 26 goals and adding 7 assists. In short, it was his year. He seemed to have finally reached the stage where Juventus could rely on him.

Yet in the summer, the opportunity arose to acquire Cristiano Ronaldo, a world-class star. But this arrival seemed to do Dybala a great disservice. Suddenly, the Portuguese was the main player in Juventus’ game and simply had to be the central figure.

And while Ronaldo shone and scored goal after goal, the Argentine struggled. In his first season after Ronaldo’s arrival, he scored only 10 goals in 41 games. What a difference from the previous season. The two extra assists he added didn’t help anything.

The change of coach followed, with Massimiliano Allegri leaving the team and Maurizio Sarri taking over. The latter considered the Argentine, but admitted publicly that it was difficult to match him with Ronaldo.

Nevertheless, it was under Sarri that Dybala gave his best performance during the Portuguese’s time at Juventus. Dybala played 46 games, scored 17 goals and added 14 assists. In short, the former Chelsea or Napoli coach tried to find a use for both of them, he succeeded. Unfortunately for him, Juventus’ play was languishing and that spelled the end.

He was replaced by Andrea Pirlo, who didn’t give Dybala as much space. The Argentine’s various injuries also played a part. But everyone agrees that 5 goals and 3 assists in 26 games are not impressive numbers. Ronaldo, however, once again scored goal after goal, even though the whole of Juventus, apart from Dybala, was languishing.

However, neither Andrea Pirlo nor Cristiano Ronaldo is in Juventus this season. The team has been taken over again by Massimiliano Allegri, who is trying to put the team back together in disarray. It cannot be said that he is doing his best. But he has nothing to prove. It is known that he is a quality and capable coach, so he will be given time and space.

At least Dybala’s form shows that Allegri knows what he’s doing. The Argentine technician is scoring goals again, playing with gusto. In 10 games he has scored 6 goals, added 4 assists. He already has better stats than last season.

The return to form is clearly confirmed in the WhoScored ratings. This season, Dybala has an average grade of 8.3.

During Cristiano Ronaldo’s tenure, his average mark in his best season was 7.25. The overall average for all three seasons then puts the rating at a net seven.

And what about the seasons before the Portuguese arrived? Between the 2015/16 and 2017/18 seasons, Dybala’s rating averaged 7.31. In the last two seasons before Ronaldo’s arrival, Dybala could boast an average mark of 7.36.

It is therefore evident from the statistics that Ronaldo’s arrival has noticeably harmed Dybala. However, at 27 years of age, the Argentine can still prove that he has what it takes to be the driving force of Juventus. Can he do it?

Sources