Juventus improved as the game went on and emerged 3-0 winners against Bayer Leverkusen with goals from Gonzalo Higuain, Federico Bernardeschi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Juventus Player Ratings
Szczesny: A spectator for large spells, aided by the superb work of the duo in front of him. Switched on when he needed to be but barely a save to make all night, even though he made a late rash run out of the box. 6.0/10
Juan Cuadrado: Whisper it….seriously, whisper it: He’s doing a decent job at right-back of late. Not a world beater going forward nor a defensive titan, but he’s done what’s asked of him and looked very comfortable thus far. Limited Amiri down the right and whipped in some good crosses to keep the pressure on. 7.0/10
Leonardo Bonucci: Another solid display at the back – very assured, had the measure of Paulinho for much of the night and ended the evening with 2 clearances, 2 tackles and an interception. 6.5/10
Matthijs De Ligt: Just exceptional – You can see he’s brimming with confidence following his fine display against SPAL at the weekend. Continued that run by delivering a foot perfect display tonight, anticipating danger, snuffing out the Leverkusen attack and limiting Volland to scraps. Immense. 7.5/10
Alex Sandro: A little quiet in terms of his attacking output but I think we could have expected a subdued game, given the news midweek. Despite that, he played well enough and limited Havertz to the point where I forgot he was playing . 6.0/10
Midfield
Sami Khedira: Another Khedira-esque display where he made up the numbers in midfield but little else. 5.5/10
Miralem Pjanic: Fewer passes than in previous games, but he still threaded the play well and kept the team moving forward. 6.5/10
Blaise Matuidi: Played his standard game: No frills, all muscle and hard work but little in the opponents half . 6.0/10
Attack
Cristiano Ronaldo: Made some nice runs to start with, but he was starved of service at times. Had two very clear chances in the second, both of which he had to bury, but typical to form, he simply did not stop until he got his goal, such is his mentality. Didn’t even look that happy, most likely because of the earlier wasted chances. 7.0/10
Gonzalo Higuain: Brilliant on the night – Tireless working all night, had an early chance that he should have buried but made up for not soon after with a nifty finish. Played a great ball for Bernardeschi’s goal and showed his better side. 7.5/10
Federico Bernardeschi: Drifted in and out of the first ’45 and generally played an average half. Looked better in the second and took his goal really well. He seems low on confidence and frustrated, hopefully this was what he needed. 6.5/10
Substitutes
Rodrigo Bentancur: Did little more than keep the midfield ticking over late in the game. 5.5/10
Paulo Dybala: An immediate impact, providing an assist for Cristiano shortly after coming on – I thought they couldn’t play together? 6.0/10
Aaron Ramsey: N/A
