Should Juventus bench Paulo Dybala with Alvaro Morata up top?

Paulo Dybala was one of Serie A’s best players last season and is a legitimate world-class talent, but he’s been struggling for Juventus recently.

In back-to-back games, Paulo Dybala has been the worst player on the pitch for Juventus. The 26-year-old forward is one of the most talented players in the league, but since returning from an injury, Dybala has failed to show that talent in Andrea Pirlo’s new-look side.

It’s important to be measured when analyzing Dybala. For years, La Joya has been among the best players in Serie A, known for his dribbling and shooting ability. He is one of the few game-changers in Europe, capable of scoring wondergoal after wondergoal from absolutely nothing. Think of all the times he bailed out Maurizio Sarri’s side in 2019-2020 en route to a ninth straight Scudetto for the Old Lady.

So Juventus must encourage Dybala and get the most out of him. They must stand by one of their star players, even if his long-term future is unsettled due to stagnant contract negotiations. Those negotiations are becoming more interesting in light of Dybala’s struggles. He may be a great player, but what if Juve don’t want to invest so much in him with Dejan Kulusevski and Federico Chiesa in the time?

Juve have a responsibility to protecting and helping Dybala play at his best, but Pirlo and the team also have that same responsibility to every other player on the team. Moreover, Pirlo’s No. 1 goal as manager is to win. The expectations are high in Turin, and if a player, no matter how good they’ve been in the past, isn’t part of the best XI, they cannot start.

Paulo Dybala struggled against Spezia and Barcelona

Dybala was mostly anonymous for 56 minutes against lowly Spezia on Sunday, and when Cristiano Ronaldo entered the pitch as the new superstar in the lineup, he scored twice and led Juventus to a 4-1 win.

The prior game against Barcelona and Lionel Messi, Dybala was even worse. He literally had no key passes, dribbles completed, or shots on target in a full 90 minutes, according to WhoScored.com.

Juxtapose Dybala’s struggles with Alvaro Morata’s brilliance. No, Morata did not score against Barcelona, but he was VAR reviews away from a brace. And then against Spezia, Morata scored once and assisted once while putting in more hard work for the team. He’s been linking up well with the midfielders and Cristiano Ronaldo, who benefited from that assist.

Dybala needs some time to get to full fitness, and he can’t be completely dropped from the squad. He’s way too good for that. But at the same time, Morata has the hot hand right now and seems to be doing all the little things right. Morata’s goal-scoring in the penalty box adds a new dimension to the team, and he seems to relieve pressure off Ronaldo, whereas Dybala can sometimes get in Ronaldo’s way because of his on-the-ball playing style.

Paulo Dybala has a point to prove to Juventus now

Pirlo has found a good formula in a 3-5-2 with players like Arthur, Adrien Rabiot, and Aaron Ramsey in midfield, talented wing backs, and a possibly deadly forward duo of Morata and Ronaldo capable of scoring loads of goals and playing off each other.

Dybala is going to have to fight to prove he’s a fit in the starting XI at Juventus and that he can be more productive than Morata. Otherwise, Pirlo has no choice but to go with the best-performing lineup, regardless of how talented Dybala is individually.

Hopefully, Dybala sees this as a challenge. The next month is crucial for both Juventus tactically and for the Argentine star, but he got off on the wrong foot against the Bianconeri’s easiest opponent in Spezia, having already struggled vs. Barcelona. Because of that, Morata is in the driver’s seat, whereas Dybala is now the man with a point to prove.