06 January 2016
The year may have changed, but Paulo Dybala is still just as clinical in the final third, as his brilliant free-kick, which opened the scoring against Hellas Verona on Wednesday afternoon, proved.
The strike was Dybala’s 11th goal of an excellent start to his first season in the black and white stripes, but the 22-year-old preferred to emphasise the team effort when analysing the Bianconeri’s eight consecutive league win.
Speaking to the media after the 3-0 win at Juventus Stadium, he began: “We always need to work for one another, as we did today. It was useful to break the deadlock early on and, after the second goal, we were pretty comfortable before Simone put the game to bed with our third goal.”
Dybala, who has also broken into the Argentine national side since arriving in Turin in the summer, admitted to having toughened up mentally following his move from Palermo.
“When I arrived here, I altered my approach, understanding that to have a strong character means everything. For example, if I lose possession of the ball, I try my utmost to win it back.
“I don’t consider myself one of the leaders, as there are so many important and experienced players around, but wearing this shirt comes with a great responsibility and I feel that I’ve matured here.”
Turning to his goal, his first from a free-kick since netting one last February for the Rosanero, incidentally against the same opposition as today, Dybala said: “Looking back at it, I have to admit that I caught the ball well. The keeper wasn’t able to get across in time.
“We’ve been practicing dead-ball situations a lot in training and even have competitions to see who’s the most accurate. I’ve still not won one of these, but I’m delighted to have scored today.”
