Fiorentina escaped relegation to Serie B this season by a mere seven points. The two-time Serie A winning club had a disappointing end to the season as they finished 13th, 51 points behind the resurgent champions Inter Milan. But a highlight of their season and key to their survival this season was the 21-year-old Serbian striker, Dusan Vlahovic.
Vlahovic scored 21 goals and assisted thrice in the 2923 minutes that he played. He was the fourth-highest in the league finishing above the likes of Barcelona transfer target Lautaro Martinez, Napoli’s Lorenzo Insigne and Lazio’s Ciro Immobile.
Dusan Vlahovic Surprise of the Season
Vlahovic Key to Fiorentina Season
This amazing season has put the Serbian in the spotlight for many of the elite clubs in world football. Because of his tall stature, physical strength and similar playing styles, many are comparing him with the Norwegian striker, Erling Haaland. Considered a cheaper alternative to the Borussia Dortmund striker, many clubs including Liverpool, are eyeing Vlahovic.
Vlahovic Hype is Real
Vlahovic played a hand in more than half of (24) Fiorentina’s 47 goals, with a contribution every 121.7 minutes that he was on the pitch. His goal contribution of 0.65 per game was very close to Premier League’s top scorer Harry Kane’s 0.67 and higher than those of Lyon’s Memphis Depay and Leicester City’s Jamie Vardy.
The Serbian is a very clinical finisher and does good on the chances he gets. His 0.45 goals per shot on target is higher than those of Serie A’s top scorer Romelu Lukaku, Harry Kane and Liverpool’s Mohammed Salah.
He is also a very hardworking forward and doesn’t laze around. He applied around 12.9 pressures per 90 this season, which is one of the highest for forwards in Europe. He is very quick on counters and is always looking for an opportunity to push the opponent into making a mistake and capitalizing on it.
The Serbian is also a decent dribbler. Succeeding in 52.9% of his dribbles higher when compared to those of Mohammed Salah’s 50.5% and Paris Saint-Germain star Kylian Mbappe’s 46.6%.
Even though he only has 1.51 shots creating actions per 90, we also have to consider that he didn’t really have any support in Fiorentina’s attack.
Vlahovic and His Style of Play
The 21-year old’s characteristics of being strong and having a good aerial presence make him a constant threat during set-pieces and are perfect for a side that likes to use that to their advantage and make lots of crosses into the box.
These attributes also make him good at holding the ball up and he is not someone who you can easily dispossess. His hardworking nature coupled with his strength and tall stature makes him an all-around centre forward who can do a bit of everything.
Dusan Vlahovic is a very desirable option this season as many clubs are looking for a talented striker. These include clubs like Barcelona and Manchester City. Vlahvoic if given time and under the right coach, can be one of the best strikers in the world in the future. Dusan Vlahvoic, remember the name!
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