Barcelona 3-0 Juventus: Player ratings as Bianconeri fall to defeat

Juventus tasted defeat in the Joan Gamper Trophy on Sunday night as they were beaten 3-0 by an impressive Barcelona.

The Bianconeri got off to the worst possible start as Memphis Depay gave the hosts an early lead with a smart finish, as Juve were thoroughly second best in the opening period. Massimiliano Allegri rang the changes for the second half, but the altered XI could do little to slow Barca’s momentum.

They got a second through Martin Braithwaite before Riqui Puig stylishly sealed a comfortable victory in added time. Who needs Lionel Messi, eh?

Nevertheless, here are the player ratings for the Juventus starters.

Goalkeeper & Defenders

Wojciech Szczesny (GK) – 6/10 – Despite Barcelona’s supremacy, it was former Juve shot-stopper Neto who was the busier of the two goalkeepers in the opening period. Nevertheless, Szczesny was beaten one-v-one by Depay but saved excellently to deny Yusuf Demir.

Mattia De Sciglio (RB) – 4/10 – The returning loanee looked shaky in the build-up, with unforced errors annoyingly frequent. A touch to many in his own box almost cost his side a goal, while there was little by way of attacking output despite being given the licence to play ahead of Juan Cuadrado at times.

Matthijs de Ligt (CB) – 5.5/10 – The Dutchman was cool enough at the back; comfortable enough in possession and relatively inactive from a defensive perspective.

Daniele Rugani (CB) – 3.5/10 – It was Rugani’s misjudgement that opened up the space for Demir to slide through Depay for the game’s opener. The Italian looked a step off the pace and struggled against the fluidity of Barcelona’s attack. Ominous signs for the upcoming campaign.

Alex Sandro (LB) – 5/10 – The Juventus skipper on the night endured a distinctly quiet evening in Barcelona before making way for Luca Pellegrini at half-time.

Midfielders

Aaron Ramsey (CM) – 6/10 – The Welshman started poorly before somewhat growing into proceedings as he continued in an unfamiliar regista role. Ramsey was robust in duels and was technically secure over short distances for the most part. However, his decision-making and execution with longer range passes were poor.

Rodrigo Bentancur (CM) – 7.5/10 – Bentancur returned to a box-to-box role for this one and produced two standout sequences in the first half. The first saw him intercept a pass on the edge of his own box and start a promising counter-attack that was delayed by Alvaro Morata, while the second was also ruined by the Spaniard, who couldn’t stay onside after being slid through by the Uruguayan after he emphatically dispossessed Sergi Roberto.

Federico Bernardeschi (CM) – 4.5/10 – Bernardeschi’s role was ambiguous. The Italy international was widely reported to be playing as a mezzala when the teams were announced and although much of his work came from the left-half space, he didn’t play a typical mezzala function. Out of possession, he drifted over to the left flank in what became a 4-4-2 shape without the ball. Overall, Bernardeschi struggled to make any impact whatsoever.

Forwards

Cristiano Ronaldo (LW) – 5/10 – Ronaldo looked a little off the pace throughout his 45-minute showing. He notched Juve’s first shot on target of the game with a fierce enough strike but struggled to get into the game at all after that. His role wasn’t exactly clear either. Was he a winger drifting in from the left, or part of a forward tandem with Morata?

Alvaro Morata (ST) – 5.5/10 – The Spaniard still doesn’t know the offside rule and he spurned a pair of decent chances in the opening period. He continues to find himself in great positions, but he remains a remarkably frustrating figure in front of goal.

Juan Cuadrado (RW) – 6/10 – Cuadrado’s role was an interesting one. Often, he’d rotate with De Sciglio and find himself in the right-back zone, with positional interchanges aplenty down that flank. The Colombian proved a threat in transition before being replaced at the break.