From an indispensable first teamer to a benchwarmer, how has Mirko Vucinic’s career at Juventus turned upside down? From being a key part of a Juventus side that won two Scudetto’s on the trot, he now finds himself way down the pecking order in the striking department this campaign in Turin.
A number of reasons have contributed to his slip down the striking hierarchy of coach Antonio Conte. Injuries have not been kind to the Montenegrin this season, with Vucinic suffering a spate of recurring thigh and knee injuries at the worst possible times.
After starting the season as a strike partner for new signing Carlos Tevez, Vucinic looked set to have his best season yet with finally a world class striker coming into the squad to help him in the form of the industrious Argentinian. Unfortunately, Vucinic injured his thigh on national team duty with Montenegro in their 1-1 draw with Poland in September, and had to be stretchered off missing the next month of matches.
Juventus’ other big off season recruit, Spanish star Fernando Llorente took Vucinic’s vacant spot next to Tevez and hasn’t looked back since, forming an supreme partnership with the diminutive ex-City striker.
Conte rarely changes his winning team, and Juventus’ brilliant form in the league meant that Tevez and Llorente got the nod to start nearly every week. After having problems acclimatizing to the Italian game, Llorente started to hit form when Vucinic was closing in on a first team return in mid-October, and Tevez’s continued scintillating form which has seen him top the Capocanniere charts this season in the Serie A meant that it was impossible to drop him.
This meant that Vucinic has had to bide his time on the substitute bench next to fellow strikers Sebastian Giovinco and Fabio Quagliarella – both who you could argue have also overtaken him in the pecking order.
January was a bizarre month for Vucinic. After struggling to gain first team football in Turin, the Montenegrin looked set to join rivals Inter in a swap deal with Nerazzurri midfielder Fredy Guarin. A strange turn events ended with Inter president Erick Thohir pulling the plug on the deal hours before it was to be completed, and left Vucinic – 
who had already cleaned his locker and said his goodbyes to everyone at the training ground – in limbo.
Just when his luck couldn’t get any worse, the Bianconeri delved into the transfer market on the last day and signed Italian international striker Dani Osvaldo on loan from English side Southampton to push the mercurial Montenegrin further down in the pecking order.
Vucinic’s sour season took another turn for the worse after he injured his knee in training in early February that ruled him out of action for several weeks. This meant Vucinic missed the Europa League games against Trabzonspor, which he would of no doubt played in and had a chance to stake his claim for more league action. Instead in a cruel twist of fate, his replacement Osvaldo started both legs and netted twice to certainly overtake Vucinic in Conte’s plans.
When Vucinic has had the chance to play this season, he simply hasn’t done enough to warrant more first team football. A total of six starts and nine substitute appearances have only yielded two goals and zero assists. Simply, that productivity is not good enough for a forward who wants to lead the line for a European heavyweight.
A parting of the ways looks inevitable at the end of the season, even if Juventus do not opt to make Osvaldo’s loan move permanent. Arsenal and Zenit Saint Petersberg has been credited with interest in the past few weeks, and a change of scenery is exactly what the doctor ordered for Vucinic.
Bianconeri fans will hold the Montenegrin in their hearts for a long time and will be thankful for his efforts in reinstalling them to the pinnacle of Italian football once again, and will definitely not begrudge him if he moves for pastures new. Vucinic can leave Juventus with his head held high, knowing that he was a factor in them returning to their former glorious selves.
