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#3 Paulo Dybala was in inspired form
Just three seasons ago, Paulo Dybala was the toast of the Bianconeri faithful, scoring 19 goals in all competitions as the Turin giants made it all the way to the final of the Champions League and completed a domestic double.
The 2017-18 season was even better for the Argentine international, as he scored a personal best of 26 goals in all competitions. It was expected that he would only grow in strength from there.
However, the arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo to Juventus last season reduced the importance of the 25-year-old. Dybala was demoted to a squad player, making mostly substitute appearances and scoring just 10 goals in all competitions - his worst return since arriving at Juventus.
It was believed that Dybala would be let go in the summer window, and multiple Premier League sides including Tottenham, Manchester United and Arsenal signified interest. But nothing materialized out of those reports.
Now the former Palermo man seems to have put all that behind him, displaying a strong performance against Atletico Madrid. Dybala was introduced with half an hour left and he made the most of it, playing a massive role in Juventus’ dominance in the dying stages.
He had three shots on target and created two good scoring opportunities for his teammates, in what was a reminder of his supreme abilities.
Addressing his performance after the match, Sarri recognized the midfielder’s talents saying:
"I can talk about Paulo all I like, but the market goes in a certain way and then whatever I say counts for nothing. I think he has the right characteristics to play as a false center-forward, but in any case we have to cut six players from the Champions League list.
"Our situation is difficult, almost embarrassing, because we run the risk of leaving out players of a really high level. It’s a situation we have to resolve and it is not just about the decisions made by the coach or club."
While he might still end up departing Juventus, considering PSG are interested, Dybala's 30-minute cameo against Atletico Madrid served as a useful reminder about his abilities.
