In the winter transfer window of 2022, a reinforcement arrived in Turin in the form of Dusan Vlahovic from Fiorentina. Vlahovic was in sublime form for Fiorentina scoring 17 goals in 22 appearances, so it was only natural for Juventus to see him continue his blistering form at the Juventus Stadium.
But since they anointed him as the striker for the Old Lady in Turin, Vlahovic has found it hard to adjust to life under the veil of the Bianconeri. The blistering start of their new number seven has now been overshadowed by inconsistent performances and a teammate/competitor who refuses to give up.
With a mere six goals in 12 appearances, Vlahovic hasn’t lived up to the promise of the fans and the board alike. And to add fuel to the fire is his deteriorating performances on the training ground where he is getting creamed by his teammates, the latest one being the 22-year-old Italian forward Moise Kean who was brought back to Juventus after the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo to fill the void of goals left by the ex-Real Madrid forward.
Kean, who has been struggling for form this season under Massimiliano Allegri, didn’t have any problems in getting the better of Vlahovic on the training ground. He was successfully able to keep the ball away from Vlahovic, turn on his feet, and charge towards the goal, leaving the Serbian flat on the ground.
After witnessing the Serbian falter before another one of their struggling forward, the fans named Vlahovic as the ‘Rashford’ of Juventus who has nothing to offer at the moment and seems to run on an empty engine. For a few, it didn’t come as a surprise as they have been witnessing Vlahovic being smeared by every other defender in the Serie A this season.
The training ground clip that surfaced on Twitter might slowly become a meme-worthy video of a striker losing his charm as Vlahovic failed to keep the ball against another team member near the goal and lost all control.
But some termed Kean bodying Vlahovic as ‘Personal.’ When the 22-year-old Italian failed in his duties to score goals for the Bianconeri, they were left with no option but to bring another forward. And who did they turn to? Vlahovic from Fiorentina.
Kean’s act on the training ground was just a soft message to the management that despite his abysmal form at the moment, he can still steer off anyone who comes his way. But if a certain training ground drill can start the debate about who is better between Kean and Vlahovic among the fans, then the Serbian needs to work harder and rise to the legacy of his number seven shirt carefully given to him by the club.
Another of those failed training ground performances, along with his stumbling form, might prove lethal for Vlahovic.
