Juventus: 5 takeaways from 0-0 draw with Milan in Coppa Italia

Rodrigo Bentancur is the best midfielder

Although this isn’t a new takeaway, it was a strong reinforcement of what is emerging as an evident truth for Juve fans. Rodrigo Bentancur came into the second leg of the Coppa Italia semifinals as the team’s leading assist provider in Serie A, and while he didn’t log an assist in the match, he was the most active midfielder in the squad by some distance.

He didn’t have much competition, but, per WhoScored.com, his team-high five tackles jump off the page. Bentancur was all over the pitch and might have been Juve’s best overall player on Friday night. The Uruguayan is becoming one of Serie A’s most valuable players, and he is definitely a well-rounded contributor.

Miralem Pjanic trending downward

Miralem Pjanic is on the transfer list this summer and could be used to land an even better midfielder. Juventus have their eyes on Arthur Melo, Jorginho, and others.

While Pjanic isn’t a bad player and has no shortage of technical quality, he no longer fits Juve and his play has slipped. He was quite poor against Milan and was probably the team’s worst player on the pitch. Because while Cristiano Ronaldo missed a penalty and was largely ineffective, at least he kept working hard on both ends of the pitch to make something happen.

Pjanic, once again, was invisible. A midfielder of his stature and range of passing should not be this ineffective in such a big match. He needs a change of scenery this summer.