Juventus gave Cristiano Ronaldo some rest against Benevento, but the Bianconeri could not answer the critics without their star player in the lineup.
Overreliance on Cristiano Ronaldo? This is what we call dependency. Juventus drew 1-1 to Benevento on Saturday on the road, but this draw felt more like a loss. The newly-promoted side managed by the legendary Filippo Inzaghi showed a lot more heart than Juve, who looked out of ideas and out of life without Ronaldo in the lineup.
Let’s hand out some player ratings after that dreadful display.
GK Wojciech Szczesny
There’s not much to say about Szczesny’s performance on Saturday evening, because there were two eventful things but not much else. He nearly made a mistake when he nonchalantly walked over to a ball from Juan Cuadrado that was headed into his own net, but he was spared. The bigger highlight was his excellent save of a curled shot.
Rating: 6.0 out of 10
LB Gianluca Frabotta
Gianluca Frabotta is one of the few Juventus players who can truly be praised for his performance at Benevento. He was competent on the ball, accurate with his passing, and worked hard in defense. WhoScored.com had Frabotta credited with two tackles and two interceptions.
Rating: 6.5 out of 10
CB Danilo
Danilo has been great this season for Juventus, and this was another decent performance. The Brazilian defender had three interceptions and four aerial duels won. There’s a case to be made that Danilo was the most consistent player on the Bianconeri.
Rating: 7.0 out of 10
CB Matthijs de Ligt
One of the best players on the Bianconeri, Matthijs de Ligt was decent against Benevento, though he did have a couple of shaky moments with his passing and marking. De Ligt didn’t dominate, however, and that’s normally what you would expect from a player of his caliber against Benevento.
Rating: 6.0 out of 10
RB Juan Cuadrado
Juan Cuadrado has been so good for Juve this season and is usually the creative hub of the team, but he struggled against Benevento. Paulo Dybala’s tendency to crowd by dropping deep did not help, but Cuadrado was off in the attack. He contributed basically nothing to the attack, and that was honestly shocking. His frustration throughout the game spoke volumes.
Rating: 4.0 out of 10
LM Aaron Ramsey
I have absolutely zero idea why Andrea Pirlo decided to start Aaron Ramsey on the left side. Ramsey had two key passes, but he also lost the ball frequently. Despite flashing his talent in a central role earlier this season, Ramsey isn’t really a fit for the Bianconeri with how Pirlo usually plays. He’s in excess of requirements.
Rating: 5.0 out of 10
CM Adrien Rabiot
Adrien Rabiot had three dribbles completed, two fouls drawn, and two tackles for Juventus, so the statistics say he played well. But it’s hard to distinguish any singular moment in which he significantly helped the team. Still, Rabiot was probably the best midfielder on the pitch for Juve, even though that doesn’t say much.
Rating: 5.5 out of 10
CM Arthur Melo
The stats say that Arthur had three interceptions, two key passes, and 93 passes completed for Juventus, but the stats totally flatter him. After a disasterclass vs. Ferencvaros, Arthur was similarly poor against Benevento. His dreadful defending led to Benevento’s goal, and he had a few other nervy moments defensively. Arthur’s passing was unimaginative, and you could see the frustration from his teammates in how he played. He needs to step up.
Rating: 4.5 out of 10
RM Federico Chiesa
Federico Chiesa’s injury hurt the team, because before he seemed to pick up a knock in the first half, he was Juve’s most important player to the attack. As always, Chiesa worked incredibly hard, and he created Alvaro Morata’s goal with an absolutely brilliant long pass. Chiesa needs to be a fixture in the starting XI.
Rating: 6.5 out of 10
FW Alvaro Morata
Alvaro Morata looked like Juve’s hero again after his excellent finish for their lone goal in this 1-1 draw, expertly tucking the ball with his left foot into the far corner. But other than that goal, Morata was below average. He was offsides multiple times (again) and struggled to create opportunities for teammates while on the ball. Morata could have used more help from his midfielders, though. And finally, he received a red card for comments he made as the game ended, hurting the team for the upcoming match against Torino next weekend.
Rating: 5.5 out of 10
FW Paulo Dybala
Another below-average performance for Paulo Dybala. La Joya came close to scoring a couple of times, but you would have backed him to find the net at least once on Saturday evening. Dybala did not look up to the task, no matter how hard he tried. He’s had worse performances than this in 2020-2021, but you would have expected him to take on more responsibility with Cristiano Ronaldo rested.
Rating: 5.0 out of 10