The Dušan Vlahović blog. If I am being honest, I admire Arsenal’s pursuits of trying to get this Vlahović’s deal over the line this winter transfer window with the Violas but don’t see it happening unfortunately. Fiorentina would probably want nothing more in getting the most value they can out of selling Dušan ASAP. However Vlahović and his team have no rush to get this deal done with 18 months left on his contract and I’d imagine they are weighing up all their options especially with clubs that are also interested in his services that can offer higher wages than Arsenal not to mention European football. This seems like a deal that will hinge on Vlahović’s representatives and the fat fee they can get representing Dušan in this deal.
Dušan’s stat line this season: 17/4 G/A in in 21 apps in Serie A, 3 goals in 3 apps in Coppa Italia.
If for some reason, Arteta works his magic with Vlahović’s team can get this deal done, these are the things we can expect with this Serbian beauty (I also know that he will probably end up at Juventus and none of this will matter but it is important that I have enough self-awareness to realize that, I can’t be hurt) :
WAND OF A LEFT FOOT – (I am going to go into left-footed player stereotpyes and would like it known that Messi is the exception). This might just be me but when I think of successful left-footed players in football, I think of one-legged human beings who only use their right foot for running. When I think of professional left-footed footballers, I think of players who have unreal quality coming from their left and that is only cause God is overcompensating for their lack of usefulness in their right foot. This is also why I go into minor panic attacks when Lucho uses two left-footed center backs in Laporte and Pau Torres for Spain. But that is besides the point, Dušan Vlahović is no exception when it comes to his wand of a left foot. Over his past two seasons with Fiorentina, he’s shown numerous examples of him opening his body to place his shots as well as putting his laces through the ball to generate power. All the above with minimal backlift. This quality of his left foot can be displayed in this final goal of his hat-trick against Benevento last season:
Vlahovic’s ability to create such power and accuracy with minimal backlift gives the 3 Benevento defenders absolutely no chance to react to his shot, whether they anticipated it or not. The ability to lift the ball over the keeper with such power and accuracy is a rare trait in today’s game especially in the current state of the Premier League with how fast each decision needs to be made. Unreal. Don’t forget Dušan fighting off the defender and bringing the ball down to create the opportunity. Unreal solo goal from Dušan.
Something else I admire from quality strikers is needlessly roofing balls in the back of net just for fun when it’s not needed. This shows confidence in their finishing ability and a ruthlessness that is needed to excel in the top leagues. Another example of the confidence in his left boot can be seen in his goal against Sassuolo this season where he finds himself 1 on 1 with the keeper and just unleashing a shot with the inside of this foot to the far corner just cause he can instead of simply passing the ball by him which he could obviously do if he wanted but he’s like “nah”:
Bouldering into defenders/Linking up play – When you think about football and dealing with the physicality that comes into play at the top leagues, of course it would be easier to deal with it if you have the stature of a Romelu Lukaku. But what makes football great is your ability to use your body to deal with the physicality no matter your size, something Messi has done over his career with his diminutive stature. Not comparing Dušan to Leo but over the past two seasons at Fiorentina, you can see how he utilizes his low center of gravity to hold off defenders with his back towards goal as well has maneuvering through defenders with his body when working towards goal in the midfield:
This ability to hold off and take out defenders when his back is towards goal opens the play up to where his teammates can bomb forward and creates positive attacking play for the Violas.
We can also use the screen grabs from his goal against Benevento above on how he uses his body to position himself favorably against bigger defenders to receive long passes from defenders/goalkeepers:
Besides using his body and low center of gravity in build-up play, his ability to shrug off defenders in the box shows true quality in a striker in how they can operate in creating opportunities to score in tight spaces. A prime example is his latest goal in the Coppa Italia against Napoli below:
Poaching – Something all great strikers possess is a nose for the goal no matter the situation around the box, the ability to position and set yourself up for a goal-scoring opportunity is a skill all 20+ goal scorers/season possess when you think about the limited chances that come up in the highest level of football. The Lewandowski’s and Ronaldo’s of the world have their times when they create jaw dropping moments but its the simple tap-ins and well timed runs that make them truly elite goal-scorers. The great “poachers” also use their runs and knack for scoring to create opportunities when they aren’t evident at first. Dušan Vlahović has turned himself into quite poacher these past few seasons by using his intelligence to put himself in efficient goal scoring opportunities as shown below against Torino where he pauses his run when seeing how the cross is coming in from his teammate Bonaventura:
The goal above is a classic example of Vlahovič creating a goal out of nothing with the Bonaventura cross curling away from goal but somehow uses his neck muscles to steer the ball with his head towards the far post is nothing short of world-class. The tap-ins though from play is where the strikers make their bread and butter, figuratively and literally with Dušan always finding himself like a shark smelling blood in the water for the chances in the box:
Weaknesses: Dušan’s gait isn’t the most natural as it pertains to actual acceleration in 1 vs. 1 situations. Dušan for sure isn’t slow by any means but him gliding by players such as Gareth Bale circa 2013 is probably not going to happen. Dušan’s foundation currently is his natural technical skills and strength on the ball physically and technically which ages more favorably than someone that relies on speed/ agility which is positive but as it pertains to getting his shot off and creating enough space in 1v1 situations is something that is more in the air at the Premier League level. Dušan isn’t the most naturally athletic but that is more comparing to the physical specimens that are Dominic Calvert-Lewin in the air, or Victor Osimhen creating havoc in Naples but that is all in their natural size. Dušan has more physically than our current #9 Lacazette but lacks a bit when comparing to the world’s best in a physical manner such as Lukaku, Lewandowski and Haaland. Dušan could develop his game even further by utilizing his playmaking to that of a Harry Kane circa 2020/2021, or Karim Benzema (every year basically) but that can come over time when the quality of his teammates get raised to his level as the technical aspect of this game is already in his locker I believe. There might be an issue with the amount of left-footed players in the starting Arsenal squad currently with Gabriel, Tierney, Xhaka (hopefully not after this season), Ødegaard, and Saka/Pepe and the limited passing angles that may occur when trying build out of the back but I think there’s enough quality with those players where that wouldn’t be an issue.
Conclusion: Currently Dušan Vlahović is a better combination of what we have currently between Auba and Laca. As predatory Auba is in front of net, he has lost a step quite a bit physically and doesn’t have the all-around game right now Vlahović has now which is more than fair when comparing the age disparity between them. Arteta relies on Lacazette as an option between the lines which Vlahović can more than do right now, but Vlahović also provides the engine to get in goal scoring opportunities/the box which Lacazette currently seems to struggle with after trying to connect play with others. Vlahovič if he made the move to the Premier League would have a ceiling of Harry Kane in the Poch years where physically he was strong, solid and couldn’t be pushed off the ball. Sneakily underrated in the air but had a reliable shot everytime he struck the ball. Someone that can lead the line to connect play but also can be trusted to put himself in chances to score. I know after I spent the time writing this piece, he is going to end up at Juventus and none of this will matter. But as long as I know that will happen, him not coming to North London can’t hurt me.
Featured image: FIFA.com