With rumors linking Carlos Tevez with a move away from Juventus, all the top European clubs are lining up for the player’s signature as well as his boyhood club, Boca Juniors.
When Antonio Conte took over Juventus and went undefeated he did so with Alessandro Matri and Mirko Vucinic leading the line. Despite the bianconeri’s domestic success with that pair, the Italian giants still lacked the right front line to get it done internationally and struggled to impose themselves in the Champions League. In the summer transfer window prior to the 2013-2014 season, Juventus sporting director Giuseppe Marotta went out and corrected this issue by bringing in a disgruntled Carlos Tevez from Manchester City for a cut price. The former Manchester City man was given Alessandro Del Piero’s iconic number 10 jersey and many fans questioned the club’s decision to do so. However, Tevez paid back the club’s faith and quickly won over the hearts of juventini with his goals and relentless performances. While Juventus and Tevez appear to be the perfect fit, the veteran striker has not hidden the fact that he would like to one day return to his hometown and play for Boca Juniors. In the past, the Juventus striker has stated that he first would like to see out his contract with the Italian champions and then leave for greener pastures at the end of next season. With that being said, rumors have been linking the Juventus superstar with a move away from the club right now. The major newspapers in Italy have reported that Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid and Laurent Blanc’s Paris Saint-Germain are interested in acquiring the player in addition to Boca Juniors. Should Tevez decide to leave, Juventus will be left with a gap up front. The question is, how big would that gap be, if any.
Over the last two seasons, Tevez has developed into the face of the side’s attack. His keen eye for goal combined with his sheer determination has propelled him to the higher reaches of the scoring charts and has helped his side claim their third and fourth consecutive league titles. In his inaugural season with the club, the former Manchester United man was able to notch 21 goals and 8 assists in all competitions. However, he under-performed massively in Europe and was unable to score a goal in Juventus’ six group games in the Champions League. As a result of this, the bianconeri crashed out of Europe’s elite competition in the group stages and participated in the Europa League. In this competition, Tevez scored a single goal in 6 appearances. While his goal-scoring record in Europe leaving much to be desired, he put up respectable numbers in the league. After breaking down his goal tally of 19 in the Serie A last season, an interesting pattern emerged. When Tevez played against the top 7 teams in the league, he was only able to score 4 goals and added a further 2 assists. Essentially, 15 of his goals came against the so-called smaller sides in Italy. While taking care of the smaller clubs in the peninsula is fine and is absolutely necessary in any title race, Tevez is not being paid to only do that. His task was to take the bianconeri and help them take the next step as a club in Europe.
In his second season with the club, Juventus won the league title and the Coppa Italia and reached the Champions League final. The 31 year old played an instrumental role in the team’s success as he scored 29 goals and got 7 assists on the season. However, the same pattern emerged as last season. Out of Tevez’s 20 goals in the league, only 6 came against the top 7 in the Serie A. That would mean that in the Argentinean international’s two seasons with the club, only 10 of his 39 goals came against Italy’s top sides. With that being said, the forward upped his game in the Champions League. In his thirteen appearances for the Old Lady this season in the competition, Tevez scored 7 goals. However, it must be noted that 6 of his 7 goals came against Malmo and Borussia Dortmund. Moreover, the usually energetic forward did not look his usual self in the quarter finals against Monaco and went missing in the Champions League final against Barcelona. When Juventus needed him most, he simply couldn’t raise his game. His anonymity in these crucial games raises a few question marks moving forward with the player.
While the statistics portray Tevez as a provinciale killer in Italy, his influence on the side extends to far more than just his goals. Typically, the Argentine international is the first player to lead the press making the jobs of his midfielders that much easier. Also, the veteran striker plays selflessly and is always looking to help out his teammates first. It is no coincidence that he has found effective strike partnerships at Juve with just about anyone he’s played with as seen with Mirko Vucinic, Fernando Llorente and most recently, Alvaro Morata. Should Tevez leave, Juventus will have a harder time replacing his combative and unselfish attitude more than his goals. With Paolo Dybala coming in from Palermo, it remains to be seen if Juventus have found the real deal in him. In addition to the former Palermo man, there have been rumors that Massimiliano Allegri’s side are targeting Mario Mandzukic if Tevez decides to leave. The former Bayern Munich man would slot in seamlessly as he has displayed a similar attitude to Tevez throughout his career and is a proven goalscorer at the highest level. Despite the similarities between the two players, Juventus would need to find a new fulcrum in attack. Under Allegri, Tevez has played deeper and orchestrates a good amount of the club’s attacks. While it won’t be easy to find a replacement to act as this fulcrum, Juventus may already have the perfect player on their books for the role. Former Real Madrid man Alvaro Morata has displayed all the qualities, both technical and mental, to lead the line. Another player worth keeping an eye on is newly acquired Paolo Dybala who will be eager to make his mark with his new club and may be suited to playing in a similar role that Tevez has occupied.
While it won’t be an easy transition if Tevez leaves Juventus this summer, the club has demonstrated in the past that they are more than qualified to make the right decisions. In Tevez, the Turin-based club would lose a guaranteed goalscorer in the league and a true leader. However, his performances against the very best over the last two seasons have been uncharacteristically poor and uninspiring. If he wants to leave, there is no reason that Juventus should hold him hostage to his contract as they are more than prepared to replace him. In addition to Dybala, Morata and possibly Mandzukic, Juventus own Domenico Berardi. The Sassuolo winger has immense talent and has already made a name for himself in football. In his first 60 appearances in Serie A, the 20 year old has scored 31 goals and has picked up 19 assists. His numbers and overall play would suggest that the U-21 international is ready to take the next step in his career and he may have the opportunity to do so should Tevez leave this summer. With that being said, even if Tevez stays on for another year he is simply prolonging the inevitable and Juventus will have to plug the gap eventually. Luckily for the Italian champions, they are more than equipped to do so and the gap might not be as big as they first feared.
The post What Would Juventus Be Losing If Carlos Tevez Leaves? appeared first on Italian Football Daily.
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