When Vlahovic scored in the 90th-minute during Sunday’s UEFA Nations League 2-0 success over Austria, this goal ended his remarkable international goal drought since March 2023.
Having had one strike chalked off by VAR, Vlahovic was finally able to smile when he scored for hosts Serbia. The 25-year-old was beautifully set up with only the approaching keeper to beat, and made no mistake to rifle the ball into the bottom right corner.
Before Serbia maintained their League A status in the Nations League with a 3-1 aggregate success, there was a reason for Vlahovic to smile. News would have filtered through that Juventus had sacked Thiago Motta on Sunday after, and replaced him with interim head coach Igor Tudor.
Motta had exiled Vlahovic since the turn of the year, while in stark contrast Tudor is a massive admirer of the Belgrade-born hot-shot.
Vlahovic had fallen down the pecking order under Motta since Christmas, with the former Bologna boss favoring Paris Saint-Germain loanee Kolo Muani.
Vlahovic turned down winter moves
French international Muani took over Vlahovic’s usual starting place as soon as he arrived during the winter transfer window. He made an immediate impact with five goals from his initial three Serie A outings, yet ousted Vlahovic had turned down offers to move to the Saudi Pro League or Turkish Supa Lig.
Despite Muani floundering ever since his explosive start, and yet to add to his tally, Vlahovic was still subjected to warming the bench under Motta.
His sole start this year was when he stole the show by bagging the only goal in their Cagliari clash. Vlahovic’s spectacular strike was surprisingly still not enough to be picked by Motta.
Vlahovic's value has plummeted
As a result his January price tag has severely dropped, with rumours that a plethora of Premier League clubs are circulating around like vultures to pick up a bargain during the summer.
Juventus appreciate that he is a prize asset and, if given a chance to show his shooting skills once more, then the club could cash in as Vlahovic’s contract expires in June 2026.
He is Juve’s leading scorer again this term, having bagged 14 goals in 34 matches, and under Tudor could play a major role during this season’s final nine Serie A games.
Tough ask for Champions League berth
Tudor has been tasked with securing a Champions League berth, yet that is a stiff challenge bearing in mind that Juventus would require a top four finish.
The Scudetto is a three-team chase between Atalanta, Inter Milan and Napoli. While the race for the coveted fourth place in Serie A is between six sides, and Juve will tackle three of those clubs before the end of May.
Tudor, when in charge of Hellas Verona, was asked by the press whether Napoli’s Victor Osimhen was the best striker in Serie A. The Croatian responded: “No. He’s a strong player, but the strongest is Vlahovic — he’s one of the best.”
Croatian Tudor, who enjoyed a trophy-laden playing career with the Bianconeri but was axed as assistant head coach to Andrea Pirlo, returns for a third stint with the Turin titans.
Shooting boots required at Juventus
His best shot at success is to unleash Vlahovic, who certainly has the physical traits and scoring prowess to trouble opponents during Juve’s Serie A run-in.
He stands head and shoulders over his Turin team-mates with his finishing ability, preferring to prioritize accuracy over power when trying to score goals.
Tudor has both ends of the pitch to urgently sort out, as Juve conceded seven goals in their past two outings and failed to score.
Vlahovic should get the nod over out-of-form Muani for Saturday’s showdown against Genoa, and this could just be the start of something very special with Tudor such an avid supporter of the Serbia striker.