Juventus were abject in the first half but turned things around to emerge 3-1 winners with Gonzalo Higuain playing a part in every goal.
Juventus Player Ratings
Szczesny: Made an exceptional save in the first half to keep Juventus on level pegging and continued in the same vein in the second. Could do little on the Atalanta goal but continued to stay sharp late in the game as the home side piled on the pressure. 7.5/10
Juan Cuadrado: Some clever work playing out from the back and played a great ball to Higuain that he failed to capitalise on. Really should have done better on Gosen’s goal as his positioning was poor, but he played a vital role in getting Juve all 3 points in the end with a perfect assist for Dybala. 5.5/10
Leonardo Bonucci: Did well overall but there were a few shaky moments, and he looked a little tired by the end of the game. 6.0/10
Matthijs De Ligt: Exceptional, from his positioning to his passing and his overall decision-making. Made a great block to deny Atalanta in the first half and continued in imperious form, utterly dominant in the air. 7.5/10
Mattia De Sciglio: Tried to get forward when he could and his defending was ok, but he made some poor passes and was caught out on occasions. 5.5/10
Midfield
Miralem Pjanic: Looked like he wasn’t 100% and was stifled in the midfield, plus his set-piece delivery wasn’t great either. Struggled to impose himself on the game and Atalanta seemed to have his measure. 5.5/10
Rodrigo Bentancur: The only midfielder that really looked lively in the opening stages, constantly trying to create and get forward, but he quickly faded and was very anonymous in the second. 5.5/10
Sami Khedira: Contributed nothing in the opening half, looked slow and off the pace while conceding a penalty that may or may not have been his fault. Caught ball watching on Atalanta’s goal. Very poor. 4.0/10
Federico Bernardeschi: One good recovering tackle aside, he blasted one effort over the bar, played a dreadful pass, was dispossessed and eventually subbed off with an injury. 5.0/10
Attack
Paulo Dybala: Created precious little and didn’t have any clear chances in the opening half but took it up a notch as the game closed out – Could have scored a sensational solo goal before putting the cherry on the cake by scoring Juve’s third. 6.5./10
Gonzalo Higuain: One half chance aside, he did well to help the team defend on occasions but did very little in the opposition half. Totally changed things in the second with a quick double to equalise and then put Juve ahead. Played a vital role in the third as well – Exceptional. 8.0/10
Substitutes
Douglas Costa: Injected some much-needed pace into a weary Juve attack. 6.0/10
Aaron Ramsey: Offered a little more bite and tried to move Juve forward, but he didn’t create anything of note. 6.0/10
Emre Can: Gave the team more in a brief cameo than Khedira managed all game. 6.0/10
