Dusan Vlahovic has been uncovered in this 2021 like an elite striker and an insatiable scorer. Last year at this point, the Serbian had scored against Juventus his fourth goal in Serie A after 14 games. He began to be a starter in his team after a start to the season on the bench and no one expected what he was going to become.
Just 365 days later, Vlahovic has scored 41 goals in the same year and has rejected the largest renewal offer in the history of Fiorentina. He is determined to leave the ‘viola’ club to sign for one of the greatest in the world. There are many teams behind him, but it seems that Juventus, Tottenham and Atlético de Madrid are the most interested right now. Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund are also gathering information, but his claims would stop his departure in January.
The still forward of the Fiorentina has been a goal scoring machine in 2021. Between club and national team he has scored 41 goals and distributed 7 assists. With the ‘viola’ he has scored 35 (33 of them in the league) and has equaled Cristiano Ronaldo’s record, the player who most goals scored in Serie A in a calendar year: 33. The Serbian came very close to beating it, but failed to score against Hellas Verona in the final game of the year.
He has become a mainstay of his team, showing that he is capable of mastering many records of the game and with a winning mentality and always wanting more that many colleagues have highlighted. Odriozola, in an interview with AS, praised his character: “He is a monster of the goal. He has a majestic mentality. I think it will lead him to be what he wants because he has a fantastic mentality and stratospheric qualities.” Vincenzo Italiano, his coach, was surprised by it from the first moment: “We are enjoying it very much. Dusan has an incredible mentality, he always wants more. We hope he maintains this humility, he is destined for great things.”
In addition to tying the record for Cristiano in Serie A, Vlahovic was the second top scorer in the five major leagues in 2021. It has only been surpassed by Robert Lewandowski (43 goals) and has been above players like Benzema, Messi, Mbappé, Salah or Ronaldo. The last two have one Premier game left this year, but they would have to score 4 and 5 goals respectively to get past it. The Serbian has ended up as a capocannoniere (top scorer) of the first round with 16 goals and is one of the eight players under the age of 22 who have achieved it. Now he wants to be the top scorer in the championship.
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The arrival of Vincenzo Italiano and his evolution
Last season, Vlahovic had to pull off a struggling Fiorentina to avoid relegation. He had two coaching changes, never showed a defined style of play and the team held on to their goals to achieve their goals. A situation that in this campaign has completely changed. The landing of Vincenzo Italiano on the bench has given the Fiore its own stamp and a much clearer model of play that have helped the Serbian to develop his game even more.
Until four months ago, most of his goals were taking advantage of rivals’ mistakes, from set pieces or in individual play. Even in the first games of this season, the ‘viola’ had problems to supply the striker with balls. Nevertheless, with the passage of the games he has been creating associations with his teammates. Bonaventure, Jose Callejon Y Duncan they have assisted him twice each. Vlahovic has optimized his movements in attack and the team has managed to organize the offensive game to make life more comfortable for the striker, who is still in the right place at the right time.
“He is destined for a great career because of his passion and dedication.”
Italiano sobre Vlahovic
All of that is also reflected in his passing stats. His percentage of success in passes has grown by more than five points, he tries more passes and connects better with his teammates. He is a team man. Come down to receive the ball many meters, but it is already common for him to find a teammate on the band and go quickly to the finishing zone, where the balls usually serve him. This was the goal he scored against Empoli assisted by Callejón. In the post-match, the forward said it was a play that they had been rehearsing for a long time in training.
Italian has improved his game, giving him many resources that make him an even more complete striker. In conclusion, Dusan Vlahovic has completed an outstanding 2021 in which he has shown himself to be a player for a team of the most absolute elite. According to information from Alfredo Pedullà Y Gianluca Di Marzio, the attacker will not come out in january; He wants to qualify Fiorentina for Europe and leave in the summer, when a millionaire auction will begin.