Juventus vs. Fiorentina: Player Ratings from an infuriating loss

Juventus had a nightmare of a match on Tuesday night against Fiorentina, losing 3-0 to a side that was in the relegation fight coming into Matchday 14.

Heading into Matchday 14, Juventus were in third place behind AC and Inter Milan, needing three points against 16th-placed Fiorentina to keep up in the title race. Juve ended up getting blown out 3-0, allowing an early goal to Dusan Vlahovic before Juan Cuadrado’s red card. And then, somehow, they were even worse in the second 45.

Here are the player ratings from Juve’s embarrassing loss at the Allianz Stadium.

GK Wojciech Szczesny

You cannot blame Wojciech Szczesny for the second-half goals, which were both on Alex Sandro and scored in the six-yard box from crosses. Perhaps he could have done more to make himself big on the first goal, but Szczesny did atone for that with a great save at his near post in the first half. He was let down by his defense, who played their worst game of the season by far.

Rating: 6.0 out of 10

LB Alex Sandro

Alex Sandro had actually been playing pretty well this season before Matchday 14, but he should be criticized heavily for his performance on Tuesday night. He was culpable on two goals and did not offer much in the attack. We knew Sandro would be a weakness for Juve going forward, so he has to be rock-solid in defense. He wasn’t that vs. Fiorentina.

Rating: 5.0 out of 10

CB Leonardo Bonucci

This was, without a doubt, the worst performance I have seen from a Juventus player this season. I cannot comprehend how Bonucci starts week after week when his body of work is clearly worse than Merih Demiral. It is a disgrace that Juve continue to start a player who is so mistake-prone, just because he’s been around for a while. Bonucci had three awful, awful giveaways in his own half in this game and was finally punished on the third.

Rating: 1.0 out of 10

CB Matthijs de Ligt

I was surprised by how poorly Matthijs de Ligt played, especially at the beginning of the match. He was caught out on Vlahovic’s goal and his positioning and awareness were lacking. De Ligt worked hard and put everything into his blocks and tackles at the end of the match, but it was too little, too late. He’s been immense this season, but this was a rare off night for de Ligt.

Rating: 4.0 out of 10

RB Juan Cuadrado

I do not even want to give him a rating. What on earth was he thinking with that tackle? A fully deserved red card. Juventini can complain about the referee if they would like in other cases, but this was a clear error from a player who has otherwise been brilliant this season.

Rating: 2.0 out of 10

RB Danilo

Danilo was the only defender who looked competent in this game, though he wasn’t great either. But at least he tried to get up the pitch and make things happen, recording three key passes, per WhoScored.com.

Rating: 6.0 out of 10

LM Federico Chiesa

I have to give Federico Chiesa a lot of credit for playing his heart out against his old club. Chiesa was all over the pitch, making up for the fact that Juventus were down to 10 men early. He had four tackles, four dribbles completed, and a whopping seven fouls drawn. His end product was lacking, but you have to praise Chiesa for his effort. That said, his decision-making must get better if he is to be a regular starter for the Bianconeri.

Rating: 6.5 out of 10

CM Weston McKennie

Weston McKennie had his first poor game of the season for Juve, and he looked frustrated in this game. Juve needed McKennie to step up when they were down to 10 men, but he honestly disappointed. The whole team stunk, aside from the one player we will discuss later in this piece, so he can get a pass.

Rating: 5.0 out of 10

CM Rodrigo Bentancur

Just as Rodrigo Bentancur was starting to get into form, he dropped an absolute disasterclass against Fiorentina. Every match counts, and Bentancur may have just earned himself a spot back on the bench behind Adrien Rabiot and Arthur Melo. He made poor decisions and sloppy touches, and he did not solidify Juve enough defensively, which is his main strength. The man offers nothing to the team in attack, and it showed in this one.

Rating: 4.0 out of 10

FW Cristiano Ronaldo

The only player who deserved to wear the kit. Yes, he had a couple of his trademark free kicks that comically go right at the wall, but he also did absolutely everything he could to carry this attack. Just about everyone else on the team looked completely inept in the final third, but Ronaldo was always there to create chances from nothing but his own hard work. It’s a shame nobody else on the team stepped up with him, because his performance deserved a goal and a spot on a winning side. He cannot be faulted at all in this match; this was a different story from Atalanta last week entirely.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10

FW Alvaro Morata

Alvaro Morata has been right there with Ronaldo as Juve’s MVP this season, effectively replacing Paulo Dybala’s importance to the side from last year’s campaign. But Morata had a stinker against Fiorentina. I honestly cannot remember a single positive thing he did in the first half before he was substituted for Federico Bernardeschi.

Rating: 4.5 out of 10