Ahead of Saturday's clash with Udinese, Paulo Dybala sat down for an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport. Here the Argentine sensation discussed an array of topics, from the effect Cristiano Ronaldo's arrival has had to his relationship with the manager.
The South American ace heads into the weekend fixture on the back of his impressive hat-trick against Young Boys in the Champions League, but his start to the season hasn't been perfect. Many predicted that the 24-year-old would struggle to play alongside the five-time Ballon d'Or winner and has overlooked in a few key fixtures so far this term.
While the former Palermo starlet spoke of the Portuguese team-mate in a positive tone, he did joke about one negative result of his Turin arrival. According to Dybala, Ronaldo ruined a pact he had with Miralem Pjanić.
The Argentine revealed that he had struck an agreement with the Bosnian midfielder on how best to split free-kick duty. However, everything has changed now that a five-time Ballon d'Or winner is on their squad.
"Last year, Mire and I had a pact: if it was towards the left side, he would take it, whereas on the right it would be me. When Ronaldo arrived, I wrote to Pjanic in our chatroom: 'Sorry Mire, but I think you won't be taking many free kicks this year…'
"All joking aside, we know how it works: on the left there's Cristiano, we just stand there to make a good photograph. On penalties it's a clear hierarchy: first Ronaldo, then me, and then Pjanic."
The Bianconeri number 10 also disagreed with the belief that he and Cristiano don't work well together. He hailed former captain Gianluigi Buffon as a "good confidante" for advice and opened up about his relationship with Allegri.
"Allegri gives me the freedom to move. Depending on who my teammates are at the time, he asks me to stay more open, tighter or to connect the team together.
"I exchange ideas with Allegri, so based on the characteristics of the opposition, we figure out where we can find more spaces. In general, the difficulties of last season and the injury problems helped me to mature."
On Saturday, the Old Lady will lock horns with Udinese with the sole aim of making it eight wins out of eight in Serie A. Ronaldo has been confirmed as a starter for the Dacia Arena trip, with Dybala tipped to start alongside the 33-year-old and Mandzukic.
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