Juventus Player Ratings from an easy victory over Crotone

Juventus returned to winning ways on Monday night as they put three past the lowly Crotone at the Allianz Stadium.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s headed brace before the break handed Juve a comfortable 2-0 lead before the ever-impressive Weston McKennie sealed all three points with a tidy finish in the second period. The result takes Juve up to third in Serie A following Roma’s controversial stalemate with Benevento on Sunday night.

Here are the player ratings from the victory.

GK – Gianluigi Buffon

Gianluigi Buffon genuinely didn’t need to turn up. That’s all I’ll say.

Rating: 6.0 out of 10

RB – Danilo

The Brazilian was certainly the most active of the Juve defenders in this one. After an inconspicuous opening, Danilo settled nicely into the game with his shrewd reading of the game on show throughout.

Rating: 7.0 out of 10

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CB – Merih Demiral

A rare glimpse of the Merih Demiral x De Ligt partnership in Serie A and, overall, the pair won’t get an easier bout. I mean, what is there to note? Crotone’s attack was tepid. Demiral had nowt to do. Simple.

Rating: 6.5 out of 10

CB – Matthijs de Ligt

It’s a similar story for de Ligt who enjoyed a quiet night in this one. In fact, the Dutchman registered more shots (two) than combined tackles and interceptions (one).

Nevertheless, there’s certainly work to be done in the build-up phase and on the ball as a whole. De Ligt needs refinement in this regard if he’s to excel in Pirlo’s possession-based system.

Rating: 6.5 out of 10

LB – Alex Sandro

Another sound performance from the not-so spectacular Alex Sandro. The Brazilian was fairly inactive from a defensive perspective but did prove a useful source of width down the left, setting up Ronaldo’s opener with a fine cross from his flank.

Rating: 6.5 out of 10

RM – Federico Chiesa

The burden fell on the shoulders of Federico Chiesa tonight to match the creative output of Juan Cuadrado from the right flank, performing admirably.

While he certainly isn’t a bona fide creator, the exciting Italian was able to produce several wicked crosses which teased the Juve forwards and tickled the Crotone defence, all while possessing a distinct threat in behind due to his remarkable turn of pace.

Chiesa’s ever-evolving under Andrea Pirlo in Turin, with this proving another stellar performance.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10

CM – Rodrigo Bentancur

Crotone certainly didn’t do enough to disrupt a vulnerable Bentancur in the build-up phase tonight, with the Uruguayan enjoying a comfortable outing. The midfielder produced several eye-catching line-breaking passes and penetrative balls in-behind as he made the most of the space afforded to him.

His work in defensive transition was impressive too, although he was rarely tested in this regard due to Crotone’s outlet-deficit.

Overall, while this was undoubtedly a positive performance from Bentancur amid a poor run of form, I wouldn’t go as far as saying this was a step in the right direction. Crotone are/were horrendous. A sterner test arrives for the Uruguayan in the form of Ivan Juric’s high-risk, man-marking Hellas Verona next week.

Rating: 6.5 out of 10

CM – Weston McKennie

I love Weston McKennie in this role and I’m sure the boss does too. The American is a manager’s dream. He provides the industry and freakish energy that Adrien Rabiot so often lacks, and there’s little doubting that Juve are a more effective counter-pressing unit when McKennie’s wreaking havoc in the pivot. He’s a pest.

Despite his altered role, McKennie continued to provide a source of penetration by getting ahead of the ball and looking to enter the box or receive between the lines – depicted by his fine strike for Juve’s third. A superb effort.

Rating: 8.0 out of 10

LM – Aaron Ramsey

This felt like an archetypal Aaron Ramsey display: lacking technical security, masterful movement and a moment of magic. His deft left-footed cross for Ronaldo’s second was wonderful.

While his loose nature is certainly frustrating, the Welshman’s ability to interpret space and pick apart the opposition’s defensive structure is invaluable.

Rating: 6.5 out of 10

ST – Dejan Kulusevski

Meh. This was the opportune time to rid the demons from a horrible showing away at Porto but, once again, Kulusevski failed to capture the imagination.

It’s not that his performance was in any way poor – he should be credited for fine work in Juve’s press – but he failed to assert himself on proceedings, struggling to make any sort of impact with the ball. His dynamism and adept ball-carrying capacity meant there were moments, but these were kept to a minimum.

Another missed opportunity for the young Swede.

Rating: 5.5 out of 10

ST – Cristiano Ronaldo

This man can leap. Cristiano Ronaldo proved Juve’s match-winner with a fine brace. His first looked simple enough, but his movement to create the space inside the Crotone box was genius, while his second before the break was a sight to behold. Everything was perfect. The cross, the hop, the finish. Aerial elegance personified.

I’m still figuring out how he didn’t net himself a hat-trick in the second half.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10