Juventus: 3 players who must step up with Juan Cuadrado suspended
Juventus won’t have Juan Cuadrado available for their next game due to a suspension.
The Bianconeri can consider themselves lucky to have picked up a point on Saturday against Atalanta, but Juventus, aside from the two dropped points, were also dealt a blow when Juan Cuadrado picked up a yellow card.
Juve’s all-important right back will miss Wednesday’s match against Sassuolo with a suspension as a result. So here are three players who must step up in his absence.
RB Danilo
The most obvious candidate is the right back who will replace him in the lineup in Danilo. He’s drawn the ire of fans over the past two games, as he’s been one of the less impressive players in both the 4-2 loss to Milan and the 2-2 draw with Atalanta that really should have been a loss.
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Danilo, however, should be better at right back than left back, since that is his natural position. He’s not a bad player at all, but he isn’t an ideal starter for Juventus. Still, he should be able to get the job done against Sassuolo. If not, then the harsh criticisms from the Juventini will continue.
LB Alex Sandro
On the other side of the formation, Alex Sandro will start again. He’s been a substitute in each of the past two games as Maurizio Sarri’s eases him back from his return from injury. Sandro is a solid left back, but he’s looked very rusty.
If anyone needs to step up the most, then it’s Sandro. He’s the sure-fire starter with Danilo moving over to the right, and he’s the more talented of the two players, especially from an attacking perspective.
Sandro needs to be better with his passing, especially when passing the ball into the final third for superstar left winger Cristiano Ronaldo.
RW Federico Bernardeschi
Juan Cuadrado is a right back, but he is also one of the Bianconeri’s best attacking players as a right midfielder and winger. Cuadrado can do it all on that right side both defensively and offensively, and with Danilo a severe downgrade offensively, the onus is on Federico Bernardeschi to pick up the slack.
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While the former Fiorentina man has had a couple of nice performances since Serie A’s return, he has, by and large, been the worst attacker on the team by some distance. That’s not a hard fate when surrounded by Paulo Dybala and Ronaldo, but Bernardeschi has been so sloppy with offsides and losing possession. He needs to be better against Sassuolo, otherwise Juve could be looking at another disappointing result.