Juventus: Old Juve’s March Player of the Month
As months go, March 2021 is one that Andrea Pirlo will recall with a whole lot of resentment. It may yet prove the defining period in Il Maestro’s reign – whether good or bad – as his slumping Juventus side were knocked out of the Champions League by inferior opposition and had their slim Scudetto hopes extinguished by a side that had never beaten them in their history.
Thanks, Arthur.
Nevertheless, despite the misery of March, the show must go on here at Old Juve as we return for the second iteration of our Player of the Month series – check the link for the rules and regulations (don’t fear, there are very few!).
February saw Federico Chiesa bring home the bacon with Cristiano Ronaldo a close second.
March’s ratings have now been counted, verified, and calculated into an average. So let’s see who came out on top!
3rd: Juan Cuadrado (Average Rating – 6.5)
Juan Cuadrado has Paulo Dybala’s continued absence to thank for his entrance into the top three, with the Colombian emerging as Juve’s creator-in-chief.
While his impact was minimal in victories over Lazio and Cagliari, the auxiliary full-back’s stellar performance in the inconsequential triumph over Porto has single-handedly thrust him into third-place. A crossing masterclass.
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2nd: Cristiano Ronaldo (Average Rating – 7.0)
Pipped again. After starting all seven of Juve’s games in February, Cristiano Ronaldo notched four starts in March – scoring four times.
This was a month of highs and lows for the Portuguese icon; with the ghostly showings in crunch time papered over by hat-tricks against relegation-scrappers – a performance which justly garnered a perfect 10/10 rating.
Perhaps if he didn’t turn his back to Sergio Oliveira’s daisy-cutter of a free-kick, then we’ll be sitting here with Juve facing Chelsea in the quarter-finals of the Champions League and Ronaldo being announced as Old Juve’s March Player of the Month after inevitably slotting home the tie-winning penalty in the shootout.
The world deserved a shirtless bark of “SIUUUUU” in front of an empty Allianz Stadium.
Old Juve’s March Player of the Month: Federico Chiesa (Average Rating – 7.1)
He’s done it again, that pesky Federico Chiesa. Back-to-back, baby!
It was the 22-year-old who almost stole Ronaldo’s clutch gene as he – alongside trusty sidekick Cuadrado – put the Bianconeri on his back in the second leg, with his smartly-taken brace putting Juve in a prime position to snatch the tie.
The former Fiorentina star also grabbed assists in the triumphs over Lazio and Cagliari.
Next. The problem with Juve's use of inverted wide midfielders. dark
Overall, Chiesa’s a player who Juventini have quickly grown to adore. Not only is the young Italian blessed with a skill set that should see him evolve into a superstar – attacks space, technically proficient, rapid, etc – but he, too, plays with the grinta that defined Juve’s modern-day monopoly over Calcio. Heart of a lion stuff.
Is anyone doubting that he’ll evolve into one of Juve’s key protagonists throughout the 2020s?
Bravo, again, Federico!