{"id":1899,"date":"2025-07-27T12:11:32","date_gmt":"2025-07-27T12:11:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.matteocoachperformance.it\/?p=1899"},"modified":"2025-07-27T12:11:32","modified_gmt":"2025-07-27T12:11:32","slug":"talking-dusan-vlahovic-with-somebody-who-used-to-root-for-him-all-the-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.matteocoachperformance.it\/?p=1899","title":{"rendered":"Talking Dusan Vlahovic with somebody who used to root for him all the time"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p id=\"9UE3o6\">Hey, all. Danny here. Over the last few weeks I\u2019ve been thinking of ways to talk about one of the bigger storylines of the summer a little differently than we have in the past. I didn\u2019t just want to write yet another post from in my own words about how Dusan Vlahovic hasn\u2019t done well at Juventus and how he\u2019s going to (probably) leave Juventus this summer.<\/p>\n<p id=\"4d1Hb8\">Instead, I wanted to go against the grain a bit.<\/p>\n<p id=\"CjLEae\">Then I remembered something that Chuks and Kaush did years ago when talking about Juventus as a whole. And the lightbulb went off. How could I have a conversation about Vlahovic with somebody for this website and do so in a creative kind of way?<\/p>\n<p id=\"as8iOY\">There\u2019s nobody better than somebody who used to root for him right up until the day he signed for Juventus in January of 2022. That person is our dear friend of the blog, Tito, the man behind Viola Nation who has always been kind with his time when helping us out.<\/p>\n<p id=\"robD9c\">So enough of my rambling \u2014 let\u2019s get right to it. Here\u2019s my chat with Tito.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"p-entry-hr\" id=\"5XTDSB\"\/>\n<p id=\"wPYWrW\"><strong>DP: <\/strong>Tito, Tito, Tito. We\u2019re going to change things up a bit for this collaborative effort. We\u2019re going to make it a little more informal rather than me just launching questions at you like Real Madrid toward Michele Di Gregorio at the Club World Cup and expecting answers straight away. We might as well both just pull up a chair, maybe grab a beverage or two and talk about our favorite Serbian striker.<\/p>\n<p id=\"7MbbvC\">That\u2019s right, my friend. I\u2019ve invited you here to talk about Dusan Vlahovic and what the heck has happened with him ever since he left your favorite club to sign with my favorite club and now looks to very much be on the outs in Turin.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"200\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https:\/\/playlist.megaphone.fm\/?e=RRTET9029565567\" width=\"100%\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p id=\"VApSYZ\"><strong>TK:<\/strong> Wish you\u2019d told me a little sooner this was informal. I feel slightly ridiculous wearing this purple crushed velvet tuxedo while you\u2019re rocking shorts and an Ale Del Piero shirt with matching face paint, but it\u2019s all good because we\u2019re both dressed appropriately for these Cynar spritzes I made. Pro tip: Make more spritzes this summer and use amari that aren\u2019t Aperol. You can get some nice summery flavors that are just a little different and give you that extra sheen of sophistication and sprezzatura.<\/p>\n<p id=\"d4wlcg\">And hey, speaking of effortlessness (how\u2019s that for a conversational transition?), it\u2019s everything that Vlahovi\u0107 isn\u2019t. Dude seems like he\u2019s been trying very hard for the past four years or so and now it\u2019s catching up to him. Where do you want to start this little chat? Because I have a feeling I know where it\u2019s going to end up: both of us shaking our heads at the sheer wastefulness of it all.<\/p>\n<p id=\"wqrzg5\"><strong>DP:<\/strong> Well, don\u2019t worry. You\u2019ll never go wrong when it comes to honoring Del Piero in any way or form around these parts. You probably know we\u2019re rather fond of the guy and miss seeing him play dearly. Maybe we should plan a trip to his restaurant in L.A. as tribute? Ah well, that can wait for. Dinner reservations are probably not able to be book so far in advnace.<\/p>\n<p id=\"Ufp8TF\">Back to Vlahovic since that is the main point here \u2026<\/p>\n<p id=\"NG9dtj\">I guess we can start the chat with the very obvious question of this: You watched Vlahovic very closely when he truly broke out at Fiorentina. You\u2019ve watched him at Juventus a handful of times since that big-money move 3 <sup>1<\/sup>\u2044<sub>2<\/sub> years ago. What\u2019s changed? Why hasn\u2019t he been able to fulfill the potential that Juventus banked on when they signed him for all that money? We know the squad has been far from perfect during his time in bianconero, but just why do you think it hasn\u2019t worked? And maybe even gotten worse as time has gone on?<\/p>\n<p id=\"vR2tjO\"><strong>TK:<\/strong> You nailed the simple answer: the squad has been far from perfect, particularly if it wants to get anything out of him. I\u2019ll do the extremely humble thing where I quote <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.violanation.com\/special-features\/2024\/11\/15\/24294312\/an-encomium-for-moise-kean-fiorentina\">an article<\/a> I wrote last year.<\/p>\n<p id=\"fXfTwJ\">\u201cFor all his tremendous ability, Vlahovi\u0107 generally relies on someone else to get him the ball in the right place. His physicality and technique allow his teammates a much larger margin for error but in the end, he needs someone else to set him up.\u201d<\/p>\n<p id=\"jrCA5G\">While Vlahovi\u0107 has occasionally shown an ability to link play or get in behind and pace defenders \u2014 e.g. <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/Matt_Santangelo\/status\/1382348159842717698\">the equalizer against Inter Milan in 2019<\/a> \u2014 he\u2019s never been all that good at the stuff strikers do in buildup. When he first broke through with the Viola, he obviously lacked the technical and tactical ability to link play. In hindsight, a big part of his breakthrough was cutting those efforts out of his game and focusing exclusively on working the box.<\/p>\n<p id=\"1uYilR\">Because he\u2019s big and athletic, people assume that he\u2019s a classic prima punta who can hold up play as well as run in behind, but I\u2019d argue that he\u2019s stylistically closer to a diminutive poacher like Vincenzo Montella than Bobo Vieri, who was another big, strong, and quick striker but played as more of a number nine who was as comfortable playing with his back to goal as he was sprinting in behind.<\/p>\n<p id=\"KrDYZG\">In short, poachers gonna poach but ain\u2019t gonna do much else, and Vlahovi\u0107 is a poacher. When you have that profile in a team that doesn\u2019t create many chances, you\u2019ve got a recipe for some Weston McKennie-level fusion cuisine, by which I mean it\u2019s absolutely horrible. No disrespect to Wes, but that dude\u2019s food takes are unhinged and he frightens me.<\/p>\n<div>\n<figure class=\"e-image\">\n  <span class=\"e-image__inner\"><\/p>\n<p>    <span class=\"e-image__image \" data-original=\"https:\/\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/uploads\/chorus_asset\/file\/26063691\/1237350144.jpg\"><\/p>\n<picture class=\"c-picture\" data-cid=\"site\/picture_element-1753615632_7989_35846\" data-cdata=\"{\" asset_id=\"\"><source srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/thumbor\/BPQJX4Z5HSBUIu5SNOt90ref5mk=\/0x0:4096x2731\/320x0\/filters:focal(0x0:4096x2731):format(webp):no_upscale()\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/uploads\/chorus_asset\/file\/26063691\/1237350144.jpg 320w, https:\/\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/thumbor\/h3JZ96Rsy_AW6bmxznPGlDY_WDw=\/0x0:4096x2731\/520x0\/filters:focal(0x0:4096x2731):format(webp):no_upscale()\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/uploads\/chorus_asset\/file\/26063691\/1237350144.jpg 520w, https:\/\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/thumbor\/TqRS2hA7GezpEU7Dl7tZHZIz-Lg=\/0x0:4096x2731\/720x0\/filters:focal(0x0:4096x2731):format(webp):no_upscale()\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/uploads\/chorus_asset\/file\/26063691\/1237350144.jpg 720w, https:\/\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/thumbor\/4OKz0XeEDES9-AF1O-eN2wYEplE=\/0x0:4096x2731\/920x0\/filters:focal(0x0:4096x2731):format(webp):no_upscale()\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/uploads\/chorus_asset\/file\/26063691\/1237350144.jpg 920w, https:\/\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/thumbor\/_TTtzQnBwTgGZOUdcAYrJuCXrf0=\/0x0:4096x2731\/1120x0\/filters:focal(0x0:4096x2731):format(webp):no_upscale()\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/uploads\/chorus_asset\/file\/26063691\/1237350144.jpg 1120w, https:\/\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/thumbor\/RTk2vgdVPArPXk0jKZ84gqlkaF4=\/0x0:4096x2731\/1320x0\/filters:focal(0x0:4096x2731):format(webp):no_upscale()\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/uploads\/chorus_asset\/file\/26063691\/1237350144.jpg 1320w, https:\/\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/thumbor\/Gs2Z0GkTuYaPTYDO7mhV1N0Xdwc=\/0x0:4096x2731\/1520x0\/filters:focal(0x0:4096x2731):format(webp):no_upscale()\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/uploads\/chorus_asset\/file\/26063691\/1237350144.jpg 1520w, https:\/\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/thumbor\/-jeR5zgg7QfSoe9nOvQ9rQ614gw=\/0x0:4096x2731\/1720x0\/filters:focal(0x0:4096x2731):format(webp):no_upscale()\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/uploads\/chorus_asset\/file\/26063691\/1237350144.jpg 1720w, https:\/\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/thumbor\/I3kC2oarqKMLm_QwXZr6lploPaw=\/0x0:4096x2731\/1920x0\/filters:focal(0x0:4096x2731):format(webp):no_upscale()\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/uploads\/chorus_asset\/file\/26063691\/1237350144.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw\" type=\"image\/webp\"><\/p>\n<p><\/source><\/picture>\n<p>    <\/span><\/p>\n<p>  <\/span><\/p>\n<p>    <span class=\"e-image__meta\"><\/p>\n<p>        <cite>Photo by Lisa Guglielmi\/LiveMedia\/NurPhoto via Getty Images<\/cite><\/p>\n<p>    <\/span><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p id=\"b6nL5f\"><strong>DP:<\/strong> I mean, I\u2019m happy to turn this into a food chat if you want. You know how much we enjoy talking local Florence cuisine from time to time because I\u2019ve watched Stanley Tucci walk around your favorite city in Italy. <\/p>\n<p id=\"SUhEsy\">(Insert one of his classic Instagram \u201cAre we recording?\u201d quips here. He\u2019s the best!)<\/p>\n<p id=\"IKrhKf\">I guess I\u2019ll ask my next question off what you just said. There\u2019s been a decent amount of advanced stat folks going \u201cI told you so!\u201d in the last couple of weeks since the possibility of Juventus proposing a contract termination came out. Where do you think you fell in terms of all that when he first signed with Juve? Did you think he would continue his quick upward trajectory that saw him score as much as any striker in Europe during the 2021 calendar year? Or did you think said nerds had a point about him overperforming what the numbers told us and that the regression was gonna be something that resembled a pile of falling rocks?<\/p>\n<p id=\"TaQgt2\"><strong>TK:<\/strong> As someone with an English degree, I\u2019m very well positioned to talk statistical analysis. I\u2019m always skeptical of players outperforming their metrics, but when someone does it over multiple seasons, it means that it\u2019s either a repeatable skill or the model\u2019s broken. Since I trust Opta and Understat, Vlahovi\u0107\u2019s finishing must be a repeatable skill. Since becoming a full-time Serie A starter, he\u2019s outperformed his xG in three of six years, <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/fbref.com\/en\/players\/79443529\/Dusan-Vlahovic\">per Opta<\/a>, and that\u2019s despite the first year being so bad in every way that I was mad that he was playing ahead of Patrick Cutrone, which sounds ridiculous now but was, I promise, a very defensible and somewhat popular opinion. 2019, man. What a year.<\/p>\n<p id=\"jniriv\">Something clicked, though, partway through 2020, largely due to San Cesare Prandelli, <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/forzaitalianfootball.com\/2021\/03\/vlahovic-i-owe-everything-to-prandelli\/\">per Vlahovi\u0107 himself<\/a>. I <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.violanation.com\/2021\/4\/1\/22359200\/dusan-vlahovic-fiorentina-future-present-goals-statistics-numbers\">broke down<\/a> his hot finishing several months later if you want more details, but the basic idea was that 21-year-old Du\u0161an was operating at a level comparable to the best strikers in the league, and he maintained that level through the subsequent season and into the start of his Juventus tenure before falling off.<\/p>\n<p id=\"X42Add\">So yeah, what happened? Assuming he didn\u2019t just forget how to play (unlikely) or suffer some sort of physical setback (unreported), I\u2019d argue this is less about smugly proclaiming, \u201cRegression to the mean,\u201d and more about the complex interplay between player and system and situation and the sheer, all-encompassing mayhem that is the universe distilled into 22 players, a ref, and a ball in 7,140-ish square meters.<\/p>\n<p id=\"5OO5oA\"><strong>DP:<\/strong> Let\u2019s go off of that last part next. <\/p>\n<p id=\"UucXLx\">You know I watch Juventus pretty much every single time they are scheduled to play. You know that I\u2019m even willing to fly to Las Vegas to see them play a friendly against a random Mexican side that will make it feel like I\u2019m suddenly in Guadalajara because their fans have taken over 95% of the stadium. But for you as an outsider, what does that \u201call-encompassing mayhem\u201d mean to you and how much do you think it played into Vlahovic not living up to expectations? How much of his lack of progression and living up to the massive transfer fee \u2014 if that was ever going to be possible \u2014 was situation?<\/p>\n<div>\n<figure class=\"e-image\">\n  <span class=\"e-image__inner\"><\/p>\n<p>    <span class=\"e-image__image \" data-original=\"https:\/\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/uploads\/chorus_asset\/file\/26063706\/2207605461.jpg\"><\/p>\n<picture class=\"c-picture\" data-cid=\"site\/picture_element-1753615632_9131_35847\" data-cdata=\"{\" asset_id=\"\"><source srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/thumbor\/4b5Tnx_l6ZRAXXfkk9KYQT1jJAs=\/0x0:5947x3965\/320x0\/filters:focal(0x0:5947x3965):format(webp):no_upscale()\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/uploads\/chorus_asset\/file\/26063706\/2207605461.jpg 320w, https:\/\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/thumbor\/I-JDdZ6WM-p6DMZPeQqxNCYwVQY=\/0x0:5947x3965\/520x0\/filters:focal(0x0:5947x3965):format(webp):no_upscale()\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/uploads\/chorus_asset\/file\/26063706\/2207605461.jpg 520w, https:\/\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/thumbor\/R5x9_7ywio8VSrbDI0fwBnPQLzc=\/0x0:5947x3965\/720x0\/filters:focal(0x0:5947x3965):format(webp):no_upscale()\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/uploads\/chorus_asset\/file\/26063706\/2207605461.jpg 720w, https:\/\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/thumbor\/-RBmJcoLSAlb0lGG7Sa43IB_ou8=\/0x0:5947x3965\/920x0\/filters:focal(0x0:5947x3965):format(webp):no_upscale()\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/uploads\/chorus_asset\/file\/26063706\/2207605461.jpg 920w, https:\/\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/thumbor\/BC1uYWKutKRusUGnFITfj5_-5Jc=\/0x0:5947x3965\/1120x0\/filters:focal(0x0:5947x3965):format(webp):no_upscale()\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/uploads\/chorus_asset\/file\/26063706\/2207605461.jpg 1120w, https:\/\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/thumbor\/4oNf8IwdIw2VaVe0EwsYi1DXS5Q=\/0x0:5947x3965\/1320x0\/filters:focal(0x0:5947x3965):format(webp):no_upscale()\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/uploads\/chorus_asset\/file\/26063706\/2207605461.jpg 1320w, https:\/\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/thumbor\/5cmW_RR5UKWtUVntYsJmbyqBVsI=\/0x0:5947x3965\/1520x0\/filters:focal(0x0:5947x3965):format(webp):no_upscale()\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/uploads\/chorus_asset\/file\/26063706\/2207605461.jpg 1520w, https:\/\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/thumbor\/qlu2NQEYACq89zE5CfF7CfsN6g4=\/0x0:5947x3965\/1720x0\/filters:focal(0x0:5947x3965):format(webp):no_upscale()\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/uploads\/chorus_asset\/file\/26063706\/2207605461.jpg 1720w, https:\/\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/thumbor\/1RpQLzOdHdxrSqZB7lYKaAp9Sqc=\/0x0:5947x3965\/1920x0\/filters:focal(0x0:5947x3965):format(webp):no_upscale()\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/uploads\/chorus_asset\/file\/26063706\/2207605461.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw\" type=\"image\/webp\"><img decoding=\"async\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/thumbor\/0S3Hbzqf9IVzwQ7ZdYOnJVuc-xg=\/0x0:5947x3965\/320x0\/filters:focal(0x0:5947x3965):no_upscale()\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/uploads\/chorus_asset\/file\/26063706\/2207605461.jpg 320w, https:\/\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/thumbor\/OspDn4yl1HRYHK5-y6a1FO6goxY=\/0x0:5947x3965\/520x0\/filters:focal(0x0:5947x3965):no_upscale()\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/uploads\/chorus_asset\/file\/26063706\/2207605461.jpg 520w, https:\/\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/thumbor\/s8BT9L_IXjlUHKlBvthDVzrVtbg=\/0x0:5947x3965\/720x0\/filters:focal(0x0:5947x3965):no_upscale()\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/uploads\/chorus_asset\/file\/26063706\/2207605461.jpg 720w, https:\/\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/thumbor\/5BAkbSUZFSTOo_bW0GIWXHZdFl8=\/0x0:5947x3965\/920x0\/filters:focal(0x0:5947x3965):no_upscale()\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/uploads\/chorus_asset\/file\/26063706\/2207605461.jpg 920w, https:\/\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/thumbor\/eF-JKo_9CjlkThcI6v8XjuRqv60=\/0x0:5947x3965\/1120x0\/filters:focal(0x0:5947x3965):no_upscale()\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/uploads\/chorus_asset\/file\/26063706\/2207605461.jpg 1120w, https:\/\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/thumbor\/vM0F61oobcBY9Ko08MVipVrPg-E=\/0x0:5947x3965\/1320x0\/filters:focal(0x0:5947x3965):no_upscale()\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/uploads\/chorus_asset\/file\/26063706\/2207605461.jpg 1320w, https:\/\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/thumbor\/RuPk9c9pKSsJBPCBuznp4xnhIUI=\/0x0:5947x3965\/1520x0\/filters:focal(0x0:5947x3965):no_upscale()\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/uploads\/chorus_asset\/file\/26063706\/2207605461.jpg 1520w, https:\/\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/thumbor\/X4rEZEuT_RyPplB1GX25PmVo0Kk=\/0x0:5947x3965\/1720x0\/filters:focal(0x0:5947x3965):no_upscale()\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/uploads\/chorus_asset\/file\/26063706\/2207605461.jpg 1720w, https:\/\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/thumbor\/6Iudgci23KHjO_sydlpBqX2TUq4=\/0x0:5947x3965\/1920x0\/filters:focal(0x0:5947x3965):no_upscale()\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/uploads\/chorus_asset\/file\/26063706\/2207605461.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw\" alt=\"Juventus v Genoa - Serie A\" loading=\"lazy\" data-upload-width=\"5947\" width=\"5947\" height=\"3965\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/thumbor\/XNk2iSDXK51GhVLZ2OaI-Jcji0c=\/0x0:5947x3965\/1200x0\/filters:focal(0x0:5947x3965):no_upscale()\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/uploads\/chorus_asset\/file\/26063706\/2207605461.jpg\"\/><\/p>\n<p><\/source><\/picture>\n<p>    <\/span><\/p>\n<p>  <\/span><\/p>\n<p>    <span class=\"e-image__meta\"><\/p>\n<p>        <cite>Photo by Image Photo Agency\/Getty Images<\/cite><\/p>\n<p>    <\/span><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p id=\"jX1mvg\"><strong>TK: <\/strong>Let\u2019s start with the caveat that I am indeed an outsider here and your opinions on this subject are way more valid and you ought to shut me down if I\u2019m way off, but from the outside, Juventus hasn\u2019t been the most stable environment for the past few years. Different coaches with different philosophies that require different things from different players. That lack of continuity hasn\u2019t helped anyone and it certainly hasn\u2019t helped Vlahovi\u0107.<\/p>\n<p id=\"oGvQJS\">I guess this is a larger soccer philosophy thing but changing systems hurts specialist players more than it hurts generalist players, and since I think Vlahovi\u0107 is a specialist player whose qualities\u2013finishing, movement in the final third, physicality \u2014 he needs an attack built around him that emphasizes those strengths. To me, that\u2019s a high line that ensures he\u2019s always as close to the penalty box as possible; width to stretch opposing defenses and prevent them from collapsing on him or doubling up on him; and a couple of creators who can deform the opposing defense sufficiently for him to find little creases in it to exploit.<\/p>\n<p id=\"Q8XGjz\">That\u2019s the lower-level stuff that a competent manager can fix, but I\u2019d argue it goes way beyond that. It\u2019s about overarching vision across the entire first team, from the third-string goalkeeper to the star striker. At the risk of sounding like the most irritating businessman from 2001, it\u2019s about synergy. Juve used to have it in spades; I mean, y\u2019all turned Vincenzo Iaquinta into an Italy international, for crying out loud, because he was willing to work hard.<\/p>\n<p id=\"EarBRE\">It\u2019s not like y\u2019all are Manchester United (a fun game to play with any Man U fans in your life: ask them who the last player to join the club and then individually improve was, then watch them experience every one of the K\u00fcbler-Ross stages of grief simultaneously) but everybody seems to be pulling in different directions. For as long as that happens, disappointments like Vlahovi\u0107 are just a symptom of a much larger issue.<\/p>\n<p id=\"Aewi58\"><strong>DP:<\/strong> Oh, trust me. People have heard all of my Juventus opinions plenty around here. That\u2019s why we need to freshen things up a bit \u2014 outsider or just another Juve-centric fan who knows who to scribble down their thoughts a little bit.<\/p>\n<p id=\"yzHt4s\">What you said after your very kind flattery toward the opinions regularly featured here also gets to the heart of what feels like a big piece to the puzzle. Yes, Vlahovic\u2019s struggles are obvious. His development and forward progress as a striker have become especially stagnant over the last 12 months, and the fact that there is very little to no market around him right now only speaks volumes to that. But it\u2019s impossible to think that somewhat of his struggles aren\u2019t related to everything going on at Juventus situationally.<\/p>\n<p id=\"NAr6uX\">That has to be at least some of it. Or is that just the easy answer \u2014 or part of one \u2014 to an extremely complicated kind of tenure for a talented player who has not met expectations?<\/p>\n<p id=\"M6pLFm\"><strong>TK:<\/strong> As I said earlier, I\u2019ve got a literature degree focused on modernism and post-modernism, so I\u2019m all about everything having infinite and infinitely tangled root causes, and also sometimes in doing some Kafkaesque (love using that word) the-laws-of-causality-are-not-now-and-never-have-been-in-effect stuff. In this case, I think a big part of Vlahovi\u0107\u2019s stagnation\/decline\/wet fartness is the tactical context, but I also think there are plenty of other factors.<\/p>\n<p id=\"Qeptrt\">Specifically, I\u2019m thinking about Vlahovi\u0107\u2019s attitude. When he broke through to Fiorentina\u2019s first team, he was a teenager on a team centered around Franck Ribery, who was a shambling husk of his former self but still commanded (too much of) everyone\u2019s respect. As you can imagine, Vlahovi\u0107 was pretty diffident at the beginning, clearly trying to fit in with the group. After a year or so, though, there was an enormous change in his on-field character.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"e-image\">\n  <span class=\"e-image__inner\"><\/p>\n<p>    <span class=\"e-image__image \" data-original=\"https:\/\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/uploads\/chorus_asset\/file\/26063707\/2191571097.jpg\"><\/p>\n<picture class=\"c-picture\" data-cid=\"site\/picture_element-1753615632_6509_35848\" data-cdata=\"{\" asset_id=\"\"><source srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/thumbor\/fgLWAcsKjbpq2ByTGjFnYC-VVaY=\/0x0:3950x2633\/320x0\/filters:focal(0x0:3950x2633):format(webp):no_upscale()\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/uploads\/chorus_asset\/file\/26063707\/2191571097.jpg 320w, https:\/\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/thumbor\/PwtnNHq8FWRRiQdNFBdIOuTUNQI=\/0x0:3950x2633\/520x0\/filters:focal(0x0:3950x2633):format(webp):no_upscale()\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/uploads\/chorus_asset\/file\/26063707\/2191571097.jpg 520w, https:\/\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/thumbor\/B_0XB7TmDAKuGyLLnZHKViEvPWw=\/0x0:3950x2633\/720x0\/filters:focal(0x0:3950x2633):format(webp):no_upscale()\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/uploads\/chorus_asset\/file\/26063707\/2191571097.jpg 720w, https:\/\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/thumbor\/kSVcm8ZprKMqgqnoRGOklP67mmY=\/0x0:3950x2633\/920x0\/filters:focal(0x0:3950x2633):format(webp):no_upscale()\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/uploads\/chorus_asset\/file\/26063707\/2191571097.jpg 920w, https:\/\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/thumbor\/ccrrfkvXu5gx1a25t9rAfl3rmVQ=\/0x0:3950x2633\/1120x0\/filters:focal(0x0:3950x2633):format(webp):no_upscale()\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/uploads\/chorus_asset\/file\/26063707\/2191571097.jpg 1120w, https:\/\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/thumbor\/y48jBpRUD39flprOcNlBYMZikfU=\/0x0:3950x2633\/1320x0\/filters:focal(0x0:3950x2633):format(webp):no_upscale()\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/uploads\/chorus_asset\/file\/26063707\/2191571097.jpg 1320w, https:\/\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/thumbor\/hrQogO7EcEugw8LOWnZ0eV8hPU0=\/0x0:3950x2633\/1520x0\/filters:focal(0x0:3950x2633):format(webp):no_upscale()\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/uploads\/chorus_asset\/file\/26063707\/2191571097.jpg 1520w, https:\/\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/thumbor\/uIDL2GgO08igRG32g7L_VzNgJDA=\/0x0:3950x2633\/1720x0\/filters:focal(0x0:3950x2633):format(webp):no_upscale()\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/uploads\/chorus_asset\/file\/26063707\/2191571097.jpg 1720w, https:\/\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/thumbor\/X3Mq5OMbTYYwo5HWiA1X9cn9kXI=\/0x0:3950x2633\/1920x0\/filters:focal(0x0:3950x2633):format(webp):no_upscale()\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/uploads\/chorus_asset\/file\/26063707\/2191571097.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw\" type=\"image\/webp\"><img decoding=\"async\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/thumbor\/ceIHQTpr_ElySGkXaAhuyH4--h8=\/0x0:3950x2633\/320x0\/filters:focal(0x0:3950x2633):no_upscale()\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/uploads\/chorus_asset\/file\/26063707\/2191571097.jpg 320w, https:\/\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/thumbor\/BiytpaXBJ7Pv0fVYgp6ECayajBQ=\/0x0:3950x2633\/520x0\/filters:focal(0x0:3950x2633):no_upscale()\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/uploads\/chorus_asset\/file\/26063707\/2191571097.jpg 520w, https:\/\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/thumbor\/mcfn3t6-eJ7geQJDWwDzvPtulnY=\/0x0:3950x2633\/720x0\/filters:focal(0x0:3950x2633):no_upscale()\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/uploads\/chorus_asset\/file\/26063707\/2191571097.jpg 720w, https:\/\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/thumbor\/oOjrqUBfnoKnj94Q8S5RzwZTVvs=\/0x0:3950x2633\/920x0\/filters:focal(0x0:3950x2633):no_upscale()\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/uploads\/chorus_asset\/file\/26063707\/2191571097.jpg 920w, https:\/\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/thumbor\/xf7wDQYPokM4u7BNqZYgjCYoIJ8=\/0x0:3950x2633\/1120x0\/filters:focal(0x0:3950x2633):no_upscale()\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/uploads\/chorus_asset\/file\/26063707\/2191571097.jpg 1120w, https:\/\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/thumbor\/ZGzlBDi6uqnkT50upN5VZGNZ0IY=\/0x0:3950x2633\/1320x0\/filters:focal(0x0:3950x2633):no_upscale()\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/uploads\/chorus_asset\/file\/26063707\/2191571097.jpg 1320w, https:\/\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/thumbor\/_atrXFAegSxmnXOkFnpVN5kVS7A=\/0x0:3950x2633\/1520x0\/filters:focal(0x0:3950x2633):no_upscale()\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/uploads\/chorus_asset\/file\/26063707\/2191571097.jpg 1520w, https:\/\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/thumbor\/QwlVoUrwV4c-DbEgV9lQmXgW5JQ=\/0x0:3950x2633\/1720x0\/filters:focal(0x0:3950x2633):no_upscale()\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/uploads\/chorus_asset\/file\/26063707\/2191571097.jpg 1720w, https:\/\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/thumbor\/rKyK8FtU7xO13lhnafjzZfCfudw=\/0x0:3950x2633\/1920x0\/filters:focal(0x0:3950x2633):no_upscale()\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/uploads\/chorus_asset\/file\/26063707\/2191571097.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw\" alt=\"Monza v Juventus - Serie A\" loading=\"lazy\" data-upload-width=\"3950\" width=\"3950\" height=\"2633\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/thumbor\/Nz5SX2EpM9Ik1ttUzW0wXNW3RH8=\/0x0:3950x2633\/1200x0\/filters:focal(0x0:3950x2633):no_upscale()\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/uploads\/chorus_asset\/file\/26063707\/2191571097.jpg\"\/><\/p>\n<p><\/source><\/picture>\n<p>    <\/span><\/p>\n<p>  <\/span><\/p>\n<p>    <span class=\"e-image__meta\"><\/p>\n<p>        <cite>Photo by Jonathan Moscrop\/Getty Images<\/cite><\/p>\n<p>    <\/span><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p id=\"zCj2iE\">In short, he turned into a huge asshole. He was constantly barking at his teammates for poor passes or missing his runs or losing the ball in a way that really grated on me because he wasn\u2019t producing at all. It was very clear to me that he was trying to act like a superstar and was hoping the results would follow the attitude, which is usually evidence of a desperate insecurity. If you\u2019ve played at all, you\u2019ve had that guy on your team, and if you haven\u2019t, then you\u2019re that guy. Regardless, nobody likes that guy, even if he\u2019s actually good, which Vlahovi\u0107 assuredly wasn\u2019t. Until he was.<\/p>\n<p id=\"hSIERO\"><strong>DP:<\/strong> That is certainly hard to deny \u2014 at least from our point of view. <\/p>\n<p id=\"PQwsVt\">So, all in all, is it safe that your ole buddy Rocco B. Commisso is thinking about jumping into a giant pit of the \u20ac80 million or so that Juventus sent over to Fiorentina in the same kind of way that Scrooge McDuck does?<\/p>\n<p id=\"VReOPW\"><strong>TK:<\/strong> Yes, but I think that <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.violanation.com\/fiorentina-latest-news-updates\/2022\/9\/10\/23345207\/response-to-rocco-commissos-attack-on-mike-mccormack\">noted friend of the site<\/a> Rocco Commisso is swimming through his doubloons regardless. The guy\u2019s very interested in the financial health of the club, but it\u2019s also worth remembering that Vlahovi\u0107 was one of his vaunted \u201ctre bandiere\u201d (along with Federico Chiesa and Gaetano Castrovilli). Rocco was, like the other fans, pretty hurt by the way Vlahovi\u0107 forced his way out after the club had backed him to the hilt. Seeing the big Serbian flame out at Juve doubtless warms the cockles of Commisso\u2019s vengeful heart, but not as much as a glance at the ledger between these teams.<\/p>\n<p id=\"qX5pVl\"><strong>DP:<\/strong> Well, now that we\u2019ve brought Rocco into things, I feel like that\u2019s a good place to put a lid on this chat before we get completely into the weeds. Tito, as always, we thank you for stopping by and having this new chat with us. You are always welcome around these parts.<\/p>\n<p id=\"1xGvnW\">You can follow Tito as the head honcho over at our <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.violanation.com\/\">SBN Italia brethren site Viola Nation<\/a> as well as <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/64tkmlrd3hpcW8ey1etkrg\">on the Viola Station podcast<\/a> with the two Mikes, which you can subscribe to on your preferred listening platform.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.blackwhitereadallover.com\/2025\/7\/26\/24468960\/talking-dusan-vlahovic-with-somebody-who-roots-for-fiorentina-2025-serie-a-transfers-analysis-chat\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Hey, all. Danny here. Over the last few weeks I\u2019ve been thinking of ways to talk about one of the bigger storylines of the summer a little differently than we have in the past. I didn\u2019t just want to write yet another post from in my own words about how Dusan Vlahovic hasn\u2019t done well [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1900,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-1899","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-aggiornamenti-serie-a"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.matteocoachperformance.it\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1899","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.matteocoachperformance.it\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.matteocoachperformance.it\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.matteocoachperformance.it\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.matteocoachperformance.it\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1899"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blog.matteocoachperformance.it\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1899\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.matteocoachperformance.it\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1900"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.matteocoachperformance.it\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1899"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.matteocoachperformance.it\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1899"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.matteocoachperformance.it\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1899"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}