Marco Tardelli says Juventus forward Paulo Dybala “has improved a lot” but warns “I still expect more from him”.
The Argentinian international has 12 goals in eight games so far this season, but was unable to find the back of the net in the 3-0 Champions League defeat to Barcelona.
“He’s improved a lot, but I still expect something more from him,” Tardelli told Corriere dello Sport.
Marco Tardelli says Juventus forward Paulo Dybala “has improved a lot” but warns “I still expect more from him”.
The Argentinian international has 12 goals in eight games so far this season, but was unable to find the back of the net in the 3-0 Champions League defeat to Barcelona.
“He’s improved a lot, but I still expect something more from him,” Tardelli told Corriere dello Sport.
“There’s no doubt he’s a great player, but to be the new [Lionel] Messi he needs to drag the team forward in the Champions League too, not just in the league.”
The first matchday of this season’s Champions League wasn’t positive for Serie A, with Napoli and Juve losing, while Roma took a point at home to Atletico Madrid.
“After Inter’s triumph in 2010 we’ve tried, but something went wrong. Juventus and Napoli in particular have the means to do something important.
“Getting to the final is a prestigious result, but you have to win finals to enter history.
“I honest didn’t expect Juve to lose to Barça. You can lose to Barcelona, but not without a fight as it was in the second half.
“I expected Napoli’s defeat even less than Juve’s, because they’re the Italian team that plays the best football and because the opponent [Shakhtar Donetsk] was a lot less dangerous than Barcelona.
“As for Roma, for the way things went 0-0 isn’t a bad result. Atletico Madrid are a tough team and it’s not easy to face [Coach Diego] Simeone.
“Now Roma have to get three points [against Qarabag] to recover that false step at home. The Azerbaijani’s are a modest team.
“It’s the same for Juve with Olympiakos. All the teams in the Champions League are fearsome, but if [Max] Allegri’s team play like they did against Torino they’ll definitely win.
“Juve are missing a bit of sheen in midfield and defence, but they haven’t lost that concreteness and when it matters Juve play as Juve.
“You’ll see that Napoli won’t get it wrong. [Arkadiusz] Milik’s injury is a big problem, but [Maurizio] Sarri will invent something.”
The former midfielder was also asked about Francesco Totti, who retired at the end of last season.
“I’m sorry he’s not there anymore, because he was one of the last Italian superstars,” Tardelli lamented.
“In our football there are no more champions like Totti, [Alex] Del Piero and [Roberto] Baggio. I hope sooner or later we’ll have someone on the same level.”