Howdy, Juventini! Welcome to the first series here at Old Juve.
With definitive, incredibly accurate – most of the time, at least – player ratings found on our site after every Juventus encounter, we thought we’d be missing a trick if we didn’t hand out a Player of the Month award.
The concept’s a simple one, with an average rating calculated using the expert – huge emphasis on that – judgments of the Old Juve team from all the fixtures within that given month.
Now, considering we only dish out ratings to the starting XI, players must’ve started at least four of the seven games in February to qualify for the award. Of course, the qualifying figure will differ every month.
That’s all there is to it, to be honest.
So, without any further ado, let’s get straight into it, starting with those who just missed out…
Joint-3rd: Merih Demiral & Weston McKennie (Average rating – 6.5)
We start with a tie for third-place between centre-back Merih Demiral and blossoming Weston McKennie, with the pair garnering an average rating of 6.5 in their February starts.
The aggressive Demiral impressed with his rugged showings across both legs in Juve’s Coppa Italia semi-final triumph over Inter, while injuries to veterans Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini handed the Turkish international a much-deserved opportunity to strut his stuff in Serie A towards the end of the month.
McKennie, meanwhile, still enjoyed a fairly prosperous month despite making just four starts (two in Serie A). The dynamic American notched just the one goal contribution – against Crotone in what was undeniably his finest outing – as Andrea Pirlo sought to return him to the midfield pivot amid Juve’s woes in the middle of the park. It’ll be interesting to see how the versatile McKennie’s utilised as we head into the business end of the 2020/21 campaign.
2nd: Cristiano Ronaldo (Average rating – 6.6)
Where would Juventus be without Cristiano Ronaldo’s goals, eh? The Portuguese great started all seven of Juve’s games in February, notching six goals – including a tie-winning brace to send his side through to the Coppa Italia final at Inter’s expense.
Nevertheless, while Ronaldo’s healthy goal return – he currently leads the Capocannoniere race with 19 strikes – helped him to tidy ratings against Roma, Crotone and Hellas Verona, ghostly displays in defeats to Porto and Napoli dropped his average rating markedly.
The harsh truth is that, although his importance to Pirlo is stark due to his efficiency in the final third, he’s not a major contributor in other facets. Thus, when Il Maestro’s system isn’t functioning optimally – a frequent occurrence last month – Ronaldo tends to drift into anonymity.
February’s Player of the Month: Federico Chiesa (Average rating – 6.9)
That’s right, it’s Federico Chiesa who will go down Old Juve folklore as our very first Player of the Month victor.
Despite securing his maiden international cap and goal by the age of 22, earning his dream move in the summer and establishing himself as one of the brightest talents in a mightily exciting Azzurri generation, this honour will surely top the lot.
All jokes aside, it’s been a superb month for Chiesa amid a stuttering 28 days for the Bianconeri.
While he was absent from Pirlo’s starting XI for both legs against Inter, the Italian international proved a consistent performer in his five other starts. He was a rare positive from the defeat in Naples, produced a clutch away goal in Porto and displayed his underrated versatility in the most recent draw at Verona – with his work to set-up Ronaldo’s opener fantastic.
As I seem to mention every time I talk about Chiesa, he’s ever-evolving in Turin. The distinct rawness that he brought with him from Florence is ever so slowly dissipating and he’s increasingly becoming a pivotal member of Pirlo’s side, especially in Juan Cuadrado’s absence.
Bravo, Federico!