Max Allegri handed a rare start to Federico Bernardeschi and Douglas Costa as the Bianconeri put SPAL to the sword, winning 4-1 with goals from Paulo Dybala and Gonzalo Higuain.

Player Ratings

Defence

Bob Szczesny: Untroubled for 85 minutes and caught off guard for the SPAL goal – Not helped by his defenders, Lichtsteiner in particular. Made some easy claims late on. 6.0/10

Stephan Lichtsteiner:  Another poor showing – Despite his industry in getting forward and supporting the attack, he was bullied for the SPAL goal and should have done better.  5.0/10

Andrea Barzagli: A good display next to Rugani at the back. Solid but not spectacular, like much of the Juve backline at present.  6.0/10

Daniele Rugani: Not at his best in the first half – Played a part in the SPAL goal and was needlessly booked early in the match. Improved as the game went on and was untroubled for much of the second half.  5.5/10

Alex Sandro: Good linkup and overlapping runs with Douglas Costa – These two seem to have a good understanding and work well together, but Sandro still has a way to go before he returns to last seasons form. 5.5/10

 

Midfield

Rodrigo Benatcur: Looked flustered early on, passing backwards and sideways and giving the ball away on occasion. Poor passing continued into the second half and he was readily and rightly subbed off. 5.0/10

Sami Khedira: Some good runs into the box and supported the attack well but didn’t impose himself as he did at the weekend against Udinese. 5.5/10

 


Attack

Federico Bernardeschi: A great start – Looked lively from the first minute before scoring a brilliant individual goal with great invention and a sublime finish. Would have liked to see more of him but Allegri opted to sub him off with most of the second half to play.  7.0/10

Paulo Dybala: Better than the last match, being more decisive behind Higuain and playing some great balls to his teammates. Took his free kicj with deadly precision.  6.5/10

Douglas Costa: A real live-wire, cutting in and out from the left and playing a smart assist for Bernardeschi’s opener before setting up Cuadrado late on for Juve’s 4th and final goal. A real talent who is starting to come into his own at last.  7.0/10

Gonzalo Higuain: Worked hard again, menacing the SPAL defence with his smart running and linkup with the Dybala. Took his goal with a great strikers finish and should have had his second near the end. Hoping that the return to goals will continue into the weekend match against Milan. 7.0/10

 

Substitutes

Juan Cuadrado: Another fantastic display – For all his faults, he is a great option to have in the squad because of his tireless work-rate and ability to pop up at just the right time. Could easily have had a second goal tonight and worked relentlessly until the final whistle. 6.5/10

Miralem Pjanic: Came in for Bentancur to help steady things in the centre of the pitch and Juve instantly looked better as a result. Intelligent passing and good tackles. 6.0/10

Claudio Marchisio: A brief cameo late in the match and a very solid 10 minutes at that. Shielding the defence and closing down SPAL when in possession. Played a lovely ball for Higuain’s disallowed goal. N/A