Juventus delivered an uninspiring performance, slumping to a 2-1 defeat against a resolute Verona side who played them off the pitch.
Juventus Player Ratings
Tek: Made a miraculous stop early in the game as Verona piled on the pressure. Could do nothing about the opener as he was left exposed and the penalty was a coin toss. 6.5/10
Juan Cuadrado: Looked frustrated the entire first half as he was pushed back by Lazovic and found few chances to play the ball out from the back and had few options in front of him. 5.5/10
Matthijs De Ligt: A few nervy moment, then he seemed to settle in as the game got going. Wasn’t to blame on either of the Verona goals but perhaps he could have stepped up a little more to lead? 6.0/10
Leonardo Bonucci: Lost his man for the Verona opener which was thankfully ruled offside but duly gave away a stupid penalty that ultimately cost Juve the game. Poor. 4.5/10
Alex Sandro: Really struggled against Faraoni in that opening exchange and was booked for his efforts. Didn’t improve much in the second half and looked boxed in as Verona exploited the left flank. 5.0/10
Midfield
Miralem Pjanic: Looked a passenger for the opening half as he failed to get on the ball, and the few occasions he did, it was wasteful. Played a part in the Verona equaliser and has looked off the pace for a while now. 4.5/10
Adrien Rabiot: Untidy in the opening exchanges, giving the ball away cheaply and leaving the back-line exposed. Managed to get forward at times but there was no end product and he didn’t get back to defend. 5.5/10
Rodrigo Bentancur: The only midfielder who looked to do anything positive in the opening half but he was to blame for the Verona equaliser. Showed nothing to try and get Juve back in the game. 5.5/10
Attack
Gonzalo Higuain: Barely saw the ball and the few times he did, he was pressured off it by the Verona defence. Duly subbed off as his hold-up play alone isn’t enough to warrant a starting place. 5.0/10
Cristiano Ronaldo: Arguably the only threat in the opening 45 minutes as he headed wide, hit the post and curled an effort just wide of the far post. Scored a wonderful solo goal to put Juve ahead but was expected to do too much as none of his teammates stepped up. 7.5/10
Douglas Costa: Made a great solo run before hitting the upright – Also played in a superb cross that Ronaldo should have buried. Provided some of the only threat in the opening half but was unfortunately taken off with yet another injury. 6.5/10
Substitutes:
Paulo Dybala: Snatched at the few chances he had but he made more of an impact that Higuain did. 6.0/10
Aaron Ramsey: Almost seems unfair to judge him while he’s played out of position and asked to do keep playing in different roles. 5.5/10
Mattia De Sciglio: N/A
