Cristiano Ronaldo could have had a hat trick but in the end, Giorgio Chiellini scored the only goal as Juventus started the season with a solid 1-0 victory over Parma.
Juventus Player Ratings
Szczesny: A good reaction save in the first half and his positioning was foot perfect from then on out. Hardly troubled in the second half. 6.0/10
Mattia De Sciglio: A good run into the Parma half early on, but his was more of a defensive role as he kept Gervinho relatively well contained. A shaky start to the second 45, but he settled in and made some fine tackles and clearances. 6.0/10
Leonardo Bonucci: Dictated well from the back and pushed out from defence to keep Parma boxed in for large periods in the first half. Wasn’t too troubled but made some good clearances and his positioning was good on a Parma counter. 6.0/10
Giorgio Chiellini: Started in typically strong fashion and made the most of a stray ball to slot home with a really tidy finish to give Juve the win. Imperious at the back as usual with lots of grinta and experience. 7.0/10
Alex Sandro: Much improved as he sprinted up and down the flank and made some great runs to keep Laurini on his toes. Had a rather fortuitous assist but overall, his performance was excellent and more in keeping with the Sandro of old. Lets hope it continues 6.5/10
Midfield
Sami Khedira: Surprisingly tidy with his play and fired in a great cross that Cristiano should have done better with…..although he made a mistake that could have cost Juve. Dropped off a little in the second half and was replace with Rabiot. 6.0/10
Blaise Matuidi: A similar story to last season – His workrate can’t be faulted, especially as he was playing wider to compensate for Ronaldo working in the middle, but his first touch and overall contribution in the first half was average. Not much improved in the second and he looks ineffective at times. 5.5/10
Miralem Pjanic: Dictated play really well, made some nice tackles and kept Juventus moving forward. Truly was the heartbeat of the side and the best midfielder by some distance. 6.5/10
Attack
Douglas Costa: The best attacking player in the opening 45 minutes as he looked to create space with ease, linked up well with Higuain and Ronaldo while drifting across the pitch and switching flanks. Seemed to tire in the second and his work rate dropped a little, but a great display nonetheless. 6.5/10
Gonzalo Higuain: Didn’t have too many clear chances to start with but his contribution went beyond goals as he dropped deep to link play and created space for Cristiano to work in. Really starved of service, but he didn’t let his head drop and kept working for the team. A great attitude. 6.5/10
Cristiano Ronaldo: Could have opened the scoring with a great headed effort, before seeing a shot from a tight angle go just wide. Rightly scored Juve’s second before it was harshly ruled out for an incredibly tight offside and continued to plug away in the second. On another day, he would have had five goals, but it was an encouraging partnership with Pipita. 6.5/10
Substitutes
Fedrico Bernardeschi: Sole contribution was getting booked almost straight after coming on. 5.0/10
Adrien Rabiot: A cameo showing for the debutant – Played a few good passes but seemed to be finding his feet more than anything else. 5.5/10
Juan Cuadrado: Did ok with some nice runs and passes but also showed that side of him that makes me cringe when trying the spectacular and failing miserably. 5.0/10
