Juventus defeated Sassuolo 3-1 at the Allianz Stadium, but the match was closer than the scoreline states.
If you would like to celebrate Juventus’ win over Sassuolo, go ahead. I will not stop you from a joyous evening.
But for most of us, Juve’s 3-1 victory over Sassuolo rings hollow. The visitors played with just 10 men for the duration of the second half, yet they were the better team for stretches of the second 45. And before the red, they were thoroughly outclassing Juventus.
Here are the player ratings from the victory.
GK Wojciech Szczesny
The Polish goalkeeper didn’t have to make many big saves in this game, but he played well with the ball at his feet and could do nothing about Gregoire Defrel’s goal.
Rating: 6.0 out of 10
LB Gianluca Frabotta
While Gianluca Frabotta played well against Milan, he was weak against Sassuolo. He came up big with the go-ahead assist for Aaron Ramsey, but, otherwise, he made poor passes offensively and looked pretty clueless defensively.
Rating: 5.0 out of 10
CB Leonardo Bonucci
After solid performances against Udinese and Milan, Leonardo Bonucci took another step back against Sassuolo. He could have easily been red-carded early in the match. Bonucci had some nice passes, including a through ball over the top for Cristiano Ronaldo, but it’s hard to praise him for this defensive showing.
Rating: 5.0 out of 10
More from Old Juve
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- Team previews: Will Juventus’ attack fulfill its potential?
- Team Previews: Juventus midfielders need to show growth this year
- Team previews: Juventus defenders look ready to compete for Scudetto
- Leonardo Bonucci may be leaving Juventus soon
CB Merih Demiral
While Merih Demiral did well to set up Ronaldo for a possible chance in the first half, he was not at his best defensively either. Both Demiral and Bonucci were culpable on Sassuolo’s goal.
Per WhoScored.com, the 22-year-old completed nearly 98 percent of his 77 attempts, but there was a definite drop-off between Matthijs de Ligt and Demiral.
Rating: 5.0 out of 10
RB Danilo
The Man of the Match. Danilo led Juventus with six tackles and was the only starter on the back four to play well. He opened the scoring with a scorcher from beyond the box, as he hit that ball absolutely perfectly. Danilo loves going for those kinds of shots – he missed one way over the bar later in the match – and it was nice to see one of those attempts come off.
Rating: 7.5 out of 10
LM Aaron Ramsey
Aaron Ramsey works so hard and is crucial to the team creatively in the attack. He is one of the few players who can create clear-cut chances and also score on his own. Ramsey did the latter against Sassuolo, finishing off Frabotta’s cross. This was another above-average performance from the Welshman.
Rating: 7.5 out of 10
CM Arthur Melo
Arthur has been a disappointment since joining from Barcelona. Instead of looking like the future of the Juventus midfield, he looks like a player who could be immediately replaced. The opposition’s world-class regista, Manuel Locatelli, looks like a superior option. Arthur’s decision-making is too slow, and while I appreciate his composure, he’s just not adding enough playmaking to this team. And that’s what Juve need,/
Rating: 5.0 out of 10
CM Rodrigo Bentancur
Rodrigo Bentancur had another horrible challenge for an obvious yellow card, and he was a clear downgrade in midfield after Weston McKennie’s injury in the first 20 minutes. I can scarcely name a positive play Bentancur made in this game. He might as well have not been on the pitch.
Rating: 4.0 out of 10
RM Federico Chiesa
Federico Chiesa did not add to his goal tally this weekend after scoring against Udinese and playing the hero at the double at the San Siro. But the former Fiorentina man worked hard for the Bianconeri, completing four dribbles. As usual, Chiesa is active off the ball, which helps the forwards.
Rating: 6.5 out of 10
FW Cristiano Ronaldo
A poor performance from Cristiano Ronaldo despite a late, well-taken goal. Ronaldo botched a handful of other chances, and he really should have scored multiple times. His wastefulness in front of goal was a key reason why a 10-man Sassuolo hung in there for as long as they did. This was tied with the match against Atalanta as Ronaldo’s worst display of the season.
Rating: 5.5 out of 10
FW Dejan Kulusevski
Swedish international Dejan Kulusevski entered the match for an injured Paulo Dybala in the first half and finished tying Aaron Ramsey with a team-high four key passes. He did so well to create for his teammates, and while the young winger’s decision-making in the final third has room to improve, he was an asset to Juventus and helped them win this match.
Rating: 7.0 out of 10
CM Adrien Rabiot
Adrien Rabiot entered the match in the second half and didn’t do much in midfield. All his performance did was entrench the idea that Weston McKennie is the only long-term contributor in midfield. Rabiot isn’t a bad player, but he’s too inconsistent. He wasn’t good enough in this game.
Rating: 5.0 out of 10