Juventus went a goal behind but a brace from Cristiano Ronaldo helped secure a vital 2-1 victory over a resilient Empoli side.
Juventus Player Ratings
Wojciech Szczęsny: Commanding in his area and made a few good claims, but he could do little on the Empoli goal. A spectator for large spells but he remained focused . 6.0/10
Leonardo Bonucci: A much improved display as he looked alert throughout and made a handful of vital interceptions, one of which was almost certain to lead to a goal. His passing was superb and he helped play Juventus out in the run up to Ronaldo’s goal. Leader. 7.0/10
Daniele Rugani: Looked a little rusty around the edges which was to be expected, but his passing was on point and he worked hard from the first minute. Perhaps needs more minutes under his belt to adapt to this new layout. 6.0/10
Mattia De Sciglio: While he wasn’t as flashy as Cancelo, he did the hard work at the back as Juve seemed to be under the cosh for more of the game than usual. Two good tackles, three clearances and an important interception. Solid. 6.5/10
Alex Sandro: Exceptional. Everything good came down the left flank for Juventus and that was led by Sandro who had the beating of Lorenzo all night. Four tackles and five shots on goal, three on target. He even managed a fine headed effort that deserved a goal. Excellent. 7.5/10
Midfield
Rodrigo Bentancur: A good defensive game with a series of nice tackles, which is an improvement, however he misplaced some really important passes that could have cost us. Looked tired from the start. 5.5/10
Miralem Pjanic: No obvious issues with his game as he completed a string of nice passes and his delivery from a few set-pieces was good, but he’s another that looked dead on his feet by the 60th minute. 6.0/10
Blaise Matuidi: Played an important assist for the winning goal but he looked weary and while he gave a typically strong and committed display, he needs a break. 6.5/10
Attack
Federico Bernardeschi: A thoroughly average display and a really anonymous performance for much of the first half. Lacked any clinical edge in the final third and got needlessly booked early on, meaning he had to be careful for the rest of the game. 5.5/10
Cristiano Ronaldo: A quiet night by his standards, and he still managed to score a brace, the second being an absolute stunner, perhaps born out of frustration that his teammates hadn’t attempted anything of note. 7.5/10
Paulo Dybala: A little subdued and while he clearly works better in this role, he had a frustrating night, unable to make any meaningful contribution in attack. Picked up a daft booking to cap off a slow night. 6.0/10
Substitutes
Douglas Costa: A late substitute appearance. N/A
Andrea Barzagli: Came on late in the game to keep the scoreline intact. N/A
Juan Cuadrado: Played a good defensive role and helped shut down the Empoli attacks down the right. 6.0/10
[Image from Juventus.com]
