Juventus bounced back from their 3-0 loss to Fiorentina by defeating Udinese 4-1 at the Allianz Stadium.
There can be no mistakes now. Juventus know that they are far enough behind Milan in first that dropping points to any side is unacceptable. Therefore, Andrea Pirlo understood his men had to be thoroughly professional against Udinese on Matchday 15.
After VAR recalled Rodrigo De Paul’s potential opener due to a handball, Juventus settled down. Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice and assisted once in another brilliant individual performance, while Aaron Ramsey was unlucky not to add a goal of his own after creating Cristiano’s first.
Here are the player ratings from the dominant 4-1 win as Juve prepare for an even bigger fixture against Milan.
GK Wojciech Szczesny
Udinese hit the bar twice, but Wojciech Szczesny surprisingly had little to do in terms of saveable shots. That said, he probably could have done better to handle the low cross that broke up his clean sheet and also had a poor clearance earlier in the match.
Rating: 5.5 out of 10
LB Alex Sandro
Not a bad performance from the defender, but I think it’s telling that so many of his crosses were blocked or were inaccurate. He really doesn’t add enough to this attack, though his defending is pretty much as solid as it gets at left back in Serie A.
Rating: 6.0 out of 10
CB Matthijs de Ligt
Matthijs de Ligt needed to be solid today against Udinese’s striker duo, and he did a great job of keeping them under wraps. His positioning and leadership were evident in the victory, and he didn’t put a foot wrong. Per WhoScored.com, de Ligt led the back four with three tackles and completed 96 percent of his passes.
Rating: 7.0 out of 10
CB Leonardo Bonucci
Leonardo Bonucci had a couple of shaky moments in the first half, because he would have been somewhat culpable on the goal if it weren’t for the handball. But he ended up bouncing back, even making a world-class clearance. As a whole, Bonucci played well.
Rating: 7.0 out of 10
RB Danilo
The statistics say Danilo led the team with 98 passes and five interceptions, and he also gets credited with an assist. He was great in the first half, though the passing statistics do flatter him, considering he is essentially a right center back and plays simple passes. But they were effective passes, keeping possession for his team. Danilo is having a good season.
Rating: 7.0 out of 10
CM Rodrigo Bentancur
Rodrigo Bentancur did well to set up Cristiano Ronaldo for an assist, and he led the team with four key passes. He wasn’t perfect in the early going, but like his teammates, he grew into the game and ended up playing at a high level against Udinese’s talented midfield trio.
Rating: 7.5 out of 10
CM Weston McKennie
Weston McKennie left the pitch early after picking up a deserved yellow card, but he still managed to make an impact by playing smart football. He may be only 22 and taking a big step up from Schalke to Juventus, but he is already at the necessary level in terms of his football IQ. His 97 percent pass completion percentage and three interceptions were statistical evidence of this statement on Matchday 15.
Rating: 7.0 out of 10
LM Aaron Ramsey
Aaron Ramsey played as a left midfielder in Andrea Pirlo’s 4-4-2 and delivered an excellent performance that deserved a goal. Per FBRef.com, he came into this match as Juve’s leader in shot-creating actions per 90 minutes. And he created the first goal with his interception, assisting for Ronaldo. Ramsey also had three shots on target, two key passes, and three tackles.
Rating: 8.0 out of 10
RM Federico Chiesa
Federico Chiesa, likewise, deserves high praise, and he earned his goal with a well-placed left-footed finish. He looks more at home on the right side than on the left, since he can whip in crosses. His teammates also gave him the freedom to take up central positions in Juve’s free-flowing attack. Chiesa works his socks off for the Bianconeri each and every match, and he has quickly become a fan favorite in Turin.
Rating: 8.5 out of 10
FW Cristiano Ronaldo
World-class. Simply world-class. Cristiano Ronaldo was great against Fiorentina, even though his team lost by three goals, and he had the production to show for it on Matchday 15 with his team on the winning side by a margin of three goals. Ronaldo had two simple finishes for his goals, taking his chances well. He was dynamic on the ball with his dribbling and was a class above everyone else. But his best play of the day was his outside-the-boot through ball assist for Chiesa, which took the defense out of the equation.
Rating: 9.0 out of 10
FW Paulo Dybala
It was wonderful to see Paulo Dybala get on the scoresheet for the second time in Serie A this season, starting the new year on the right foot by putting it away 4-1 in stoppage time. It was a simple finish for Dybala, as Udinese’s defense parted the Red Sea for him. Dybala wasn’t elite in this game, but he was solid, getting on the ball frequently and showing especially good chemistry with McKennie.
Rating: 7.0 out of 10