by: Francesco Cosentino

“He reminds me of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, because he was like that when he came to Juve. He didn’t have the muscles either. Then Zlatan gained muscles and turned into a world class striker. Schick is also this type of striker – great feet, tall and fast. If Patrik keeps improving himself he can turn into a world class striker as well.”

Receiving such an incredible comparison to one of the World’s top strikers can really boost a player’s self-esteem, especially for a young player. Receiving this comparison from arguably the best player to ever play for your country can be career defining for a striker looking to make his name in European football. These were the words of Pavel Nedved about Juventus’ new starlet Patrik Schick; a player who set Serie A ablaze last season when he became the first Czech player to score 10+ goals in a season since 1997/98. The player who last achieved this feat? You guessed it, Pavel Nedved or the Czech Fury as he has become known to Juventus fans for the last two decades.

Nedved is now the Vice-President of Juventus and was directly involved in attracting Schick to Juventus this year. It is believed that Nedved was fixated on acquiring Schick and did everything possible to get the player to sign on the dotted line for the Bianconeri, the club where Nedved himself became a legend and which he hopes has just signed it’s next legend. Only time will tell how Schick’s career will play out but Juve appear to have gotten their hands on a player with the the raw resources to become one of the World’s finest strikers.

2016/17 Statistics:

Schick was impressive last season as he tore Serie A apart when he finally found his stride. In total, Schick scored 11 goals and added 3 assists in 32 appearances while helping Sampdoria reach a respectable mid-table finish last season. This total does not look all that impressive to the naked eye; what makes Schick’s goal tally so impressive last season is the fact that he only started 14 matches for Sampdoria. In those 14 matches, Schick contributed 5 goals and 3 assists. While this is impressive for a player who didn’t really hit his stride with Samp until the second half of the season, in fact, Schick didn’t play a full 90′ for the Genovese side until January! That is incredible when you think of his final tallies of the season.

As we can see from the chart below (found here at transfermarkt.com) Schick had a 2-3 month period of adjustment into Serie A. This is extremely normal for a player who has never played for a team in the top flight of Europe’s 5 major leagues and faced an adjustment to a new culture and a new language. Schick performed admirably throughout the 16/17 season and there is much cause for excitement ahead of the following season with Juve.

Schick also performed exceptionally well when called upon in the Coppa Italia last season. Scoring 2 goals in 3 matches for Sampdoria before being eliminated in the Round of 16 by Roma. Schick was good for about a goal every 75 minutes in the Italian Cup, and this will be crucial to Juventus’ cup ambitions next season as Schick will likely be asked to bear the load in the competition, in order to give Gonzalo Higuain and Paulo Dybala some much needed rest for the Champions League and Scudetto race.

Attributes:

Schick is still very much a raw talent, but the Czech star was all the necessary makings of a unique World Class striker one day, and that day might not be very far at all if Max Allegri is able to tap into his skillset and improve his weaknesses. Firstly, Schick is an incredible dribbler, he can get himself in and out of tight spaces with extreme ease. What makes this talent even more impressive is his height, players of Schick’s stature usually do not display such nifty footwork. This ability to combine an imposing stature and nimble footwork means Schick can not only play both as a centre forward and as a supporting striker. Watch any video of Schick, and there is only one forward who combines towering height with amazing footwork, and it’s the man who Pavel Nedved likened Schick too; Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Adding to Schick’s impressive footwork is his incredible pace with and without the ball. The player can cover large amounts of the pitch and very little time, and this is also an incredible attribute when you are tall. A player who has pace but no dribble is a chicken without a head, but when you combine the two together. You have the right ingredients for a dangerous player. Patrik also has the ability to put himself in dangerous positions for high percentage scoring opportunities.

Take this goal against Cagliari for example;

Schick starts the play with a pass to his right

Immediately cuts to the middle of the box

Layoff from his teammate

Slots it home

Unfortunately there are some weaknesses to Schick’s game which will need to be worked on and honed for him to truly become a superstar for Juventus. His penchant to use his left foot has worked well for him in his young career but you cannot become dependant on one foot in European football. His inability to be ambipedal will eventually cause defenders to zone in on his left foot in order to take away his strongest asset. If Schick can become lethal with both of his feet as the majority of the World’s great players are, he will have an unpredictable lethal arsenal at his disposal.

Schick will need to learn to hold onto the ball longer when he gets to Juventus. Often times at Samp, he would make an amazing run with up the field, only to try and force the play and get dispossessed. Holding up the play and waiting for a teammate to buildup the play will do wonders for Schick’s game.

Conclusion:

Juventus have gotten one of Europe’s finest young talents in Patrik Schick. The player has all the assets to become the next Ibrahimovic in the coming years, as Nedved described. Schick will be working with one of Europe’s best coaches in terms of helping young talents grow. Max Allegri has done wonders with his patient approach with young stars such as Alvaro Morata and more recently Paulo Dybala which has paid dividends in the young Argentinian’s career. Expect more of the same for Schick as he will not be thrown into the fire right away at Juventus (if he stays this season). If the Czech international does convince Mister Allegri that he is ready for Juventus, then I foresee a fruitful season in which he will be depended upon to carry the frontline when Gonzalo Higuain is rested next season, and this will be vital to keep both players fresh next season and avoid the fatigue that plagued Allegri’s starters at the tail end of last season, due to lack of depth.

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