Giorgio Chiellini and Mario Mandzukic returned to the starting XI and both played their parts in Juve’s 3-1 victory over Sassuolo, but one player in particular stole the show.
Player Ratings
Gigi Buffon: Made 2 comfortable saves and was quick out of his box to snuff out and half chances Sassuolo created. Left stranded for Sassuolo’s goal. A spectator for much of the match 6.0/10
Stephan Lichtsteiner: Made a mistake in the first half and wasn’t made to pay – Left on the floor for Sassuolo’s goal and had a poor afternoon overall. 5.0/10
Daniele Rugani: Controlled and confident, turned in a towering performance at the back, keeping Falcinelli in his pocket. Great clearances, good positioning and awareness – Begs the question: Why didn’t he start against Barcelona? 6.5/10
Giorgio Chiellini: Good to see him back in the team – Dominant in the air, controlled the box really well keeping Ragusa very quiet for large spells of the game. King King. 6.5/10
Alex Sandro: Much improved following some sub-standard displays. Pushed Lirola back and made a brilliant tackle late on to deny Sassuolo. Found plenty of space in the first-half to whip in some good deliveries that deserved a better finish. 6.5/10
Juan Cuadrado: Immense – When he plays like this, he can be unstoppable – Did fantastically against Adjapong, beating his man on more than one occasion. Provided plenty of service to Higuain before setting up Dybala. Had a great chance to score the 4th goal late on and was only just denied. 7.0/10
Miralem Pjanic: Superb in the centre of the pitch, pulling the strings, defending when called on, moving the ball sideways, completing 90% of his passes. Had a great shot saved early in the first half and is fast becoming the heartbeat of the Juve midfield. Tidy. 7.0/10
Blaise Matuidi: Lots of hustle, running end to end, tackling and harrying the Sassuolo midfield. Had a few shots from distance and gave another great account. 6.5/10
Paulo Dybala: 100th Juventus appearance, 52 Juventus goals – A perfect display in every sense. Absolutely stole the show, getting on the ball, forcing the Sassuolo defence left and right – Signed off his display with a sublime free-kick. Unreal. 9.5/10
Mario Mandzukic: Provided an assist for Dybala’s goal, ran the left flank really well, containing Lirola and providing a strong aerial presence in his own half. 6.0/10
Gonzalo Higuain: Truly disappointing when you consider the amount of service he was given by his teammates. Squandered more than a few chances. A poor showing over all, needs to improve. 5.5/10
Substitutes
Andrea Barzagli: Entered the game late on with the result already assured as Juve switched to a back 3. N/A
Federico Bernardeschi: Replaced Dybala late on, made a stupid tackle to earn a yellow a few minutes after entering. N/A
Douglas Costa: A brief cameo towards the end of the match, but still made a great run into the box and setting up Cuadarado for what should have been Juve’s 4th. N/A
Now its time that Dybala shows in talent in the CL.
More than once or twice….
Higuain looking fat and fumbling his way through the entire match. Just seems in a funk…I had Matuidi at a 7-7.5 for seemingly being at the heart of so many transitions and scoring chances…Cuadrado redeeming himself…Georgio’s return w/Rugani ensured stability for most of the game, save Stephan’s utter meltdown.