Juventus Player Ratings from a 3-0 victory over Spezia

Juventus returned to winning ways on Tuesday night as they put three past a bright Spezia side in a 3-0 victory.

A tepid first-half performance from the hosts culminated in a half-time stalemate and it wasn’t until Andrea Pirlo introduced Alvaro Morata and Federico Bernadeschi on the hour when the Bianconeri enjoyed an upturn in fluidity.

The substitutes combined for the opener – with Morata tapping home – before Federico Chiesa smartly added a second and Cristiano Ronaldo got on the scoresheet late on.

The 3-0 triumph means Juve closed the gap on Inter at the top to seven points.

Here are the Juventus player ratings from Tuesday night’s win.

GK – Wojciech Szczęsny

For all of Spezia’s impressive work in regards to their counter-press and ability to combine around Juve pressure, the absence of two key creators meant they struggled to test Szczęsny between the sticks.

In fact, the Poland international was hardly made to work before saving comfortably from Andrey Galabinov’s pitiful spot-kick.

Rating: 6.0 out of 10

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RB – Danilo

Danilo seemed to really fancy himself tonight, frequently marauding into Spezia’s third despite his supposedly more conservative role in Pirlo’s defence. Nevertheless, while the Brazilian enjoyed his attacking advances, he often proved a detriment to his side, offering little in this regard.

At the other end of the pitch, Danilo was typically stout in defence, while his inverted role in Juve’s build-up helped on occasions.

Rating: 5.5 out of 10

CB – Merih Demiral

Merih Demiral was tasked with the tricky assignment of Mbala Nzola on Tuesday night but coped admirably.

Sure, there were times where his over-eagerness proved problematic but, on the whole, Demiral was able to keep his aggression in check. His assured display – despite conceding a late penalty – also included a fantastic defensive header to deny Szczęsny from being tested in the first half.

Rating 6.5 out of 10

CB – Alex Sandro

Juve’s injury woes piled up in the build-up to the fixture with Matthijs de Ligt ruled out after sustaining a knock in the warm-up.

The Dutchman’s absence thrust Gianluca Frabotta into the XI. Thus, shifting skipper Alex Sandro into a centre-back role – this time as part of a back four.

And overall, the Brazilian coped well enough. He was unsurprisingly comfortable at defending in wide areas and produced a few superb headed clearances in the second period to deny the visitors. Sandro impressed defensively but I was slightly disappointed by his work in the build-up.

Rating: 6.5 out of 10

LB – Gianluca Frabotta

The Italian hasn’t started since Juve’s Coppa Italia victory over SPAL in January and, based on tonight’s showing, it was clear as to why.

Frabotta failed to serve as a much-needed outlet for the hosts down the left flank, seemingly refusing to exploit the space created by the positioning of Weston McKennie in the left half-space which forced Spezia right-back, Luca Vignali, to pinch infield. It was a display lacking any sort of assertion, with his early yellow card for a clumsy aerial challenge certainly not helping his cause.

Shoutout to his replacement, Federico Bernadeschi, though. Berna played the advancing left-back role superbly in what was his brightest performance in, well, as long as I can remember.

Rating: 5.0 out of 10

RM – Federico Chiesa

This seemed to be an archetypal Chiesa performance from his Fiorentina days before he grabbed Juve’s second with a clever finish.

The blistering Italian was Juve’s primary outlet against Spezia’s high line in the opening period but was often let down by poor decision-making once he arrived in the final third. Nevertheless, this was another bright, if not raw, display from OldJuve’s February Player of the Month.

Rating: 6.5 out of 10

CM – Rodrigo Bentancur

A pretty unassuming performance from Rodrigo Bentancur tonight, it has to be said. While he fared better against Spezia’s off the ball intensity than his struggling midfield partner, Bentancur failed to make a distinct impression on proceedings.

However, perhaps he shouldn’t be criticised for merely carrying out the bare bones of his function.

Rating: 6.0 out of 10

CM – Adrien Rabiot

Adrien Rabiot certainly grew into the contest after a woeful first half.

Spezia’s fierce counter-press often overwhelmed the Frenchman, with the midfielder frequently guilty of loose touches and sloppy giveaways in the middle of the park. Attempts to press were thwarted by the press-resistant Leo Sena as Rabiot cast a bewildered figure in the opening period.

As I noted though, there was an improvement in the second period as Spezia’s intensity waned.

Rating: 4.5 out of 10

LM – Weston McKennie

The American was off the boil tonight and it looked like he picked up a knock as he was hooked after an hour.

There were examples where McKennie was able to receive between the lines and dart into the Spezia box but very few. Overall, he uncharacteristically lacked dynamism tonight. Although, we should give him some respite as it’s pretty clear he’s not 100% fit.

Rating: 5.0 out of 10

ST – Cristiano Ronaldo

This was a Cristiano Ronaldo performance we’ve grown accustomed to seeing as of late: contribute little and appear overly-desperate to get on the scoresheet before eventually grabbing a goal.

The Portuguese great netted his 20th Serie A strike of the season after rounding off a swift transition in the dying embers, stretching his lead in the Capocannoniere race.

Rating: 6.0 out of 10

ST – Dejan Kulusevski

The Swede was perhaps the most dynamic out of all the Juve starters. While, like Chiesa, he suffered from indecision in and around the Spezia box, there were plenty of bright moments from Kulusevksi tonight after a pretty torrid run of form.

His combination and understanding with the aforementioned Chiesa was great to see down the right, with his work in tight areas a standout facet. He uses his body so well to evade pressure.

Kulu just needs a goal.

Rating: 6.0 out of 10