Juventus general manager Giuseppe Marotta shrugs off criticism of Paulo Dybala – “we need to have the patience to wait for him”.
The forward began the season in blistering form, but has scored just once in his last nine games and couldn’t find the back of the net against Benevento yesterday.
“In my opinion it’s a very normal path of growth, and he’ll also have these periods,” Marotta shrugged, speaking on Domenica Sportiva last night.
“Remember that Dybala isn’t even 24 yet, he turns 24 on November 15 and it’s normal that a player with his football standing will reach maturity at around 26 or 27.
“We always expect extraordinary things from him, because we’re used to him giving us extraordinary things, so when he plays a normal game like today’s six [out of 10] it became a five or a four.
“We need to have the patience to wait for him though. We can say with certainty that he’s a great talent, to become a champion will take time.
“You become a champion when you achieve consistency of results, of play, of performance.
“Right now there are mitigating factors because he’s still 23, and a year/year-and-a-half after coming to Juventus he’s been given a lot of responsibility.
“Everyone wants extraordinary things from him, but it takes patience.”