Paulo Dybala believes “this is the best time to deal with Barcelona” and plays down comparisions with Leonardo Messi, insisting he is his own player.
Speaking to Italian daily La Repubblica, Dybala spoke of the upcoming Champions League match against Barcelona, his future at Juventus and his new role in the team.
“We must not be afraid, because we have great players,” Dybala told the newspaper.
“We’re fine, this is the best time to deal with Barcelona. PSG conceded six goals at Camp Nou because they did not have the right attitude , and we learned something from that match.
“Their strong point is how to play the ball, they have a goalkeeper that is good with his feet, good enough to be a midfielder. Their weak point is when they do not have the ball. We must take advantage of this, taking a high line, starting from midfield.
“If instead we wait for them in defence, it will be us that get tired, not them.”
“Sometimes he [Allegri] even tells me to get close to Buffon to start a move, but I feel good, he’s given me my freedom, I can go left or right. It is what I did as a kid, it’s what I love to do the most.
“It’s hard to stay away from goal as I love to score, but I also love to conduct the play, to make a turn, to play the ball on the ground. Now we play with four attackers, so defenders never know what to do, and who to mark. It’s better for us.
“In Italy it is not easy to score goals, teams even defend at 2-0 down, but with Gonzalo [Higuain] it is as if we have played together for five years. At every training session we try to get to know each other better, we go to dinner together, and this understanding pays off even on the pitch.
“But a guy with his movement is easy to create assists for.”
“Leo? I really admire and respect Messi. He has won the Champions League many times, and I’m only dreaming about the first. I play for Juve and I want to win. On the pitch we are equal and I will do everything to beat him.
“In Argentina they only said that if I had not come to Turin, they would not be angry with me. But Barcelona is not just Messi: Neymar is at the top too.
“Am I the new Messi? People need to understand that I am Paulo Dybala and I want to continue to be so. I understand the comparisons and expectations on me from the Argentinians, but I do not want to be the new Messi or the Messi of the future.
“He is unique, like Maradona. It was never said that I am his heir.
“But he does not talk so much, he keeps himself to himself, we haven’t had a great relationship.
“Three years ago I was at Palermo in Serie B and it was hard to imagine this, however tomorrow will the most special game of my career.
“When I arrived, I was playing as a striker and Allegri has transformed me. But here I also had to change as a person because you have to have a different life beyond training and the games.
I have around me people who have won it all, and I’m trying to become one of them.
“I have yet to grow, the great champions are others. So many players of my age had already won important trophies, I’m still trying to improve.
“Words are not enough to make me feel a top player. When I went to Camp Nou to see ‘El Clasico’ a thought popped into my head that one day I would play in that stadium, and I’ll fulfill this on April 19.
“I do not know the future, so many things can happen. I am happy, my teammates wish me well, as do the fans and the club. At the moment I’m fine here.
“If I scored against Barcelona it would be spoken about around the world. But I’d enjoy it just like the win over Chievo, I’m happy all the same.
“Goals give you confidence, but after the assist to Higuain I played more calmly, with more serenity and this is what I want to do. To generate the play, to create for the team.
“As for tomorrow, first of all I hope that Juve do not concede a goal.”
“I’ve spoken with Dani Alves a lot about the match, especially on the movement between each other, because he is a player with very good feet. I can help him a lot, as Messi did at Barcelona.
“It is a quarter-final against one of the strongest in the world: the atmosphere, the people, and the emotions you feel when arriving at the stadium are not the same as always.”
Leonardo Messi, I cracked up after reading that xD