Juventus: Now you see how ridiculous Juan Cuadrado criticisms are

Juventus right back Juan Cuadrado missed Wednesday’s Champions League fixture against FC Porto with an injury he suffered last weekend at Napoli. Without Cuadrado in the lineup, Juve struggled mightily. They were missing his class on the ball when playing out of the back, his vision, his leadership, his non-stop running, and his final ball in the attacking third.

The result was a sloppy, shutout loss in which Juventus looked completely out of their depth against a squad with less talent. Cuadrado was clearly missed, and the impact of his absence on the team really shows Juventini how nonsensical the criticisms of the Colombian are.

Most fans appreciate what Cuadrado brings to the table. They realize that the 32-year-old wide man has 10 assists in all competitions this season for a reason. They understand how instrumental he has been in big games this season, including the two late assists in a come-from-behind win over Torino in the Derby della Mole.

Cuadrado has more than assists, too. According to WhoScored.com, he is averaging 1.9 key passes per game, 1.9 fouls drawn per game, and 1.3 dribbles completed per game. He has 2.1 tackles per game and 1.7 interceptions per game in Serie A, showing defensive involvement that often gets underrated.

Juan Cuadrado is an irreplaceable player for Juventus

Yes, he makes mistakes. He’ll lose the ball, he’ll get caught out defensively, he’ll make bad tackles. It happens. But he’s also more involved in games than literally anyone else. Can you name a player who creates more chances than Cuadrado? How many more players make more defensive involvements? Only Danilo, who is purely a defender.

But Cuadrado? Cuadrado does everything. And he does it all well. How can that be criticized? More to the point, how can all of that be replaced?

Juventus struggled against Porto without one of their leaders in defensive actions, assists, key passes, and dribbles completed, and fouls drawn. Across the board, Cuadrado is a difference-maker on the stat sheet. Off the stat sheet, he is an experienced Serie A player who has excelled in so many big matches.

To criticize Cuadrado severely is to diminish the accomplishments of a true Juventus standout and professional. The man is Juve’s second-best player in the 2020-2021 season behind Cristiano Ronaldo, and that should be undisputed. Not even Danilo nor Matthijs de Ligt can claim they have influenced matches to the degree Cuadrado has. And when he is out, he leaves a massive hole in the lineup, to the point where he seems to be irreplaceable.