Yildiz, Vlahovic, and Kolo Muani: Time to End the Drought and Ignite the Goals!

- Ravenous, disheartened, and perhaps a tad jittery, Yildiz, Vlahovic, and Kolo find themselves as the spearheads of what may soon be Juventus’ attacking future—Thiago or no Thiago. The trio has been grappling with a noticeable drought in goal-scoring, and the recent call-ups to their respective national sides come at a particularly precarious time, as each player within the Juventus realm is under the microscope. Yet, these international fixtures offer a refreshing reprieve from the daily grind, providing an opportunity to rediscover their confidence and get back to finding the back of the net. When added together, Yildiz, Vlahovic, and Kolo have been starved of goals for an excruciating 2,700 minutes. Tonight presents a crucial chance to break that streak before they return to Torino, starting with the challenges faced by Kolo and Vlahovic. The two forwards will find themselves back in their native cities—Paris and Belgrade—for their Nations League encounters against Croatia and Austria. Both locales are where they first nurtured their love for the beautiful game. It’s a golden opportunity for them to reconnect with that primal version of themselves. Kolo, coming off a defeat in the first leg of the quarter-finals against Croatia, who were led by none other than Perisic, may begin from the bench. Yet, with a 0-2 setback in Split, the French side will need a flawless performance, as the spectre of extra time hangs over them, making the contributions of all, including Kolo, vital. Meanwhile, Vlahovic’s Serbian team drew 1-1 with Austria in a hard-fought match, kept competitive through the heroics of the fantastic Rajkovic prior to Samardzic’s equaliser.