The Sunday News
THE Argentine’s impending exit has cleared the way for the Atletico Madrid striker but he is unlikely to have anything like the impact of the Apache.
From the moment Carlos Tevez told Juventus he would not sign another contract with the club it was clear 2014-15 would be his last season in Turin. The rumours this week that Boca Juniors had visited him at Argentina’s Copa America training camp were quickly followed with confirmation from the Old Lady that their star striker is set to go home.
One of the greatest spells in Tevez’s career, and a wonderful period in Juventus’ recent history, is over. It is worth remembering at this time that when he arrived in 2013 to be handed Alessandro Del Piero’s old number 10 shirt many believed it to be sacrilege that he would be the man to follow in the club legend’s footsteps.
Tevez may not have left quite the legacy of the former skipper, but he has undoubtedly vacated a more gaping hole in the Juve first team. By the time Del Piero departed in 2012 he was 37 years old and playing only a bit-part role in the Bianconeri’s successes. The Argentine, on the other hand, leaves with plenty still to offer and with no obvious replacement waiting in the wings.
Juventus need to move quickly to allay any fears for their forward line. They have already added Palermo’s Paulo Dybala for €32 million, but everyone at the club realises it would be unrealistic to expect the 21-year-old to follow in the footsteps of a man who netted 50 times in his two years in Turin.
But then who could? Director general Beppe Marotta has confirmed that Atletico Madrid’s star centre-forward could be the man, saying: “If Tevez were to leave, we have identified the player to replace him as Mario Mandzukic.
“We all agree on his positive impact. Carlos has this desire to return to South America, to his home in Argentina to end a glorious career.”
The decision not to stand in Tevez’s way is honourable, but the choice of replacement might not be so wise. It is true that few players on the market could hope to provide the verve, power and dynamism of the 31-year-old, but any belief that the Croatian could provide relief in the striking department appears misguided.
One thing Juve have going for them is that Mandzukic is available. Atleti boss Diego Simeone said he doesn’t count the 29-year-old among his list of indispensable players.
“Mandzukic? Who goes and who stays is not up to me,” the Argentine boss told Radio Marca. “Of course, at Atletico there are few players who can be considered untouchable: Koke, Diego Godin and that’s about it, I would say.”
While Mandzukic did a reasonable job of attempting to replace Diego Costa for the Spanish capital outfit, filling the gap Tevez leaves behind would be an altogether different proposition at Juventus.
Nobody would expect the former Wolfsburg and Bayern Munich man to adapt his style of play to mimic Tevez but even as a main target man and goal-getter it is unlikely he will be able to match the impact the little attacker supplied.
Mandzukic will score goals, and a fair number of them, but he could well find things more difficult up against the more resilient and uncaring Italian defenders.
But there is more to it than just replacing the goals Tevez scored. Mandzukic has tallied 46 himself over the last two years, but it is accepted by the majority of people who have watched Juve since 2013 that it was not just in finding the net that the ex-Manchester City man excelled.
The bottom line is that Juventus need more than Mandzukic. They have Alvaro Morata and Paulo Dybala, while Fernando Llorente looks likely to leave. What they really could do with is somebody who can really take the game to an opposing back line. Somebody who can change a match with a single action when things are not going their way.
Somebody with guile and pizazz, with that bit of genius and a true big-game attitude.
Unfortunately for the Bianconeri, the only player looking to move clubs this summer who fits that description is Tevez. — Goal.com.
