Paulo Dybala must dig deep and prove worth again after being dropped for Inter clash

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  • Dybala came on for the final 15 minutes at the Juventus Stadium.

    It is fair to say Juventus star Paulo Dybala did not experience a Derby d’Italia to savour.

    A precipitous descent from the godly heights of September was completed before kick-off on Saturday night, coach Massimiliano Allegri’s decision to drop the dented ‘La Joya’ – the Jewel – to the substitute’s bench for Serie A’s summit fixture against Internazionale met with little surprise by the Juventus faithful. That is what two strikes in 15 matches in all competitions will do to even a player of undisputed gifts.

    The Argentina forward was, belatedly, thrown on with 15 minutes left of a goalless draw in which the perennial champions did everything but score. Diatribes remain about an inability to come up with the defining play true greats provide, only a negligible impact being registered during his fleeting moments on the pitch as yet another marquee fixture passed the young forward by.

    This comedown came in the latest chapter of a rivalry defined by luminaries such as Christian Vieri, Zinedine Zidane, Alessandro Del Piero, Pavel Nedved and Zlatan Ibrahimovic during the last 20 years. Figures whose legend extends far beyond Italy’s borders and which Dybala looked poised to join after first dismantling Barcelona in last term’s Champions League quarter-finals, before rocketing in an exquisite collection of 12 goals in his opening eight club fixtures in 2017/18.

    Yet that enlivening presence has disappeared amid a maelstrom of rumours related to break-ups with both his long term girlfriend and agent.

    At 24-years old, it is now imperative a sense of individual responsibility exemplified by the iconic aforementioned players becomes as dominant in his rarefied game. He is no longer a doe-eyed prospect.

    Dybala’s campaign is split into two distinct spells. He was unstoppable until September 23’s destruction of Turin neighbours Torino, his dismantling of Sassuolo and impish dribble out of the corner under intense pressure at Genoa the highlights.

    TURIN, ITALY - DECEMBER 09: Paulo Dybala of Juventus looks on in the bench prior the Serie A match between Juventus and FC Internazionale at Allianz Stadium on December 9, 2017 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Tullio M. Puglia/Getty Images)

    A glum Dybala looks on from the bench on Saturday night.

    But since then, two league efforts have come a month at a time.

    He was also scoreless in the group stages of the Champions League, the player who defined the previous quarters against Barca doing precious little in the next edition.

    Before September’s high-water mark, Dybala’s goals were coming every 53.8 minutes. Now it’s every 572.5 minutes – a depth only plumbed by the likes of Amauri.

    Maddeningly, his ability has still sporadically shone through. A driving run and perfect pass teed up countryman Gonzalo Higuain for the only goal in the pressure clash at Napoli earlier this month, while an injury-time consolation at Sampdoria lashed into the bottom corner spoke volumes about the power and unnerving accuracy within his arsenal.

    Dybala is still a star on the ascent. Runs of form earlier this year and from December 2015-May 2016 make him an asset coveted from Madrid to Manchester.

    Such standing saw the prestigious Italian edition of Vanity Fair release a large profile last week, a question about the Ballon d’Or ambitions formed at a young age being met with: “We’d sit around the fire in the summer and I told my friends that [winning the Ballon d’Or] is what I wanted.”

    Awkwardly timed, when placed with his current displays and downgrading of status.

    The onus is now on the Jewel to prove he can consistently shine like no other.

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