Jovic, between mystery and trouble

Luka Jovic is starring in Real Madrid more trouble and problems than celebrations of goals. The Serbian, signed last summer at the price of a great striker but more projection (60 million euros) to give Benzema relief, has spent a season walking between the disconnection on the field, offering a feeling of discomfort in the team's game Zidane (only two goals in 770 minutes), criticism and controversy. The last one, this week, when he skipped the quarantine decreed by Real Madrid after Thompkins tested positive for the coronavirus and traveled to his country. According to local media, he was seen on the streets of Belgrade celebrating his girlfriend's birthday. A behavior that motivated a wave of criticism in Serbia.

There, the figure of the white striker has been on target since months ago he had a rifirrafe with his coach, Ljubisa Tumbakovic. The divorce between the two is a fact since the FIFA stoppage last September. Jovic was called up with Serbia. In the first match, against Portugal, the coach left him on the bench and entered with only three minutes to go. For the next match, against Luxembourg, the player claimed an injury and was released, but just four days later he played for Madrid against Levante (the final seven minutes). Tumbakovic did not like the attitude of the Real Madrid player and in the last lists he discarded him. The coach related the distancing thus: “I take care of each player to get the most out of the Serbian national team. And I have never given up on any. One of those who has left the team is Luka Jovic. And the truth is just one. There is no conflict between me and Luka Jovic. Luka Jovic's problem is Luka Jovic. Suddenly that player left training, he did not answer. As a coach, I will always have a player of that class because it would not be professional for me not to think about him. But it is he who has to convince us, the media, the fans, the people of the Federation and me as his coach, that he is prepared and responsible. He has not taken any steps in that direction. “. This conflict has eroded Jovic's image, also noted in his country in recent months for his extra-sport life …

In Madrid, his situation is not better despite the fact that Zidane came to remove the shield to defend it. But his season is being disappointing. A mystery. Nothing to do with his brilliant last season, when at this point he had 22 goals with Eintracht, one every 104 minutes, with a player to Fortuna Düsseldorf included. Jovic is yet to be found at Real Madrid. He has only two goals in 770 '(one every 385') and many obstacles: the lack of adaptation to the team game and command of Castilian, bad luck (he has shot twice at the post) and the VAR (two goals annulled by offside). And you have already heard the whistles of the Bernabéu. “The public was very tough”, he went on to say after “breaking free” with a goal to Leganés. Zidane, to plug him in, has put several cables in. In private and in public. “It is the future, he is 21 years old, he is going to score many goals and he is very good. You have to be patient,” he said at a press conference. A patience that seems that the technician is losing: it left him out of the list the last three league games, including the Clásico where he did summon the idado forgotten ’Mariano. A striker, the Hispanic Dominican, who puts more blood and dynamite (he went out for a minute against Barça and scored a goal …) than the Serb, stuck in his shell and whose figure is starting to generate controversy. This tunnel in which Jovic is located has begun to attract attention in Europe. Several clubs, including, as told by AS, Naples, have asked about their future. Jovic's first option is still triumphing at Madrid, but there are several teams that have reactivated his interest in case that goal is not possible …