Udinese 2-2 Juventus: Player ratings as Juve are held to a point in season-opener
A pair of Wojciech Szczesny errors meant Juventus were forced to settle for a point against Udinese in their first game of the Serie A season.
The Bianconeri started superbly and took an early lead through the majestic Paulo Dybala. The Argentine then turned provider for Juan Cuadrado, who doubled Juve’s lead before half-time.
However, it then all went south for the away side. Szczesny gifted Udinese a route back into the contest after tripping Tolgay Arslan inside the box to giveaway a penalty, one Roberto Pereyra calmly converted, before a pitiful sequence with the ball at his feet ended with Gerard Deulofeu equalising into an empty net.
Cristiano Ronaldo, whose future was thrust into serious doubt before kick-off, then thought he’d snatched a dramatic late winner, only for his emphatic header to be ruled out for offside.
Here are the Juventus player ratings from Sunday night.
Goalkeeper & Defenders
Wojciech Szczesny (GK) – 0/10 – A diabolical start to the season for Szczesny, whose errors gifted the hosts a point. Mattia Perrin anyone?
Danilo (RB) – 6/10 – Allegri’s utilisation of a traditional 4-4-2 meant Danilo performed a fairly basic function in this one. Nevertheless, the dependable Brazilian was as assured as ever; diligent in defence and secure in possession. Danilo then moved into midfield to close out the contest.
Matthijs de Ligt (CB) – 6/10 – Ignacio Pussetto proved no match for Matthijs de Ligt, who dominated his duel with the Argentine. The Juventus defender was irresistible in the air and failed to gift Pussetto an inch throughout. However, there were a few unforced errors in possession and he was certainly tested a little more by the nimble Deulofeu following his match-turning introduction.
Leonardo Bonucci (CB) – 6/10 – An assertive display from Bonucci who looked at ease alongside de Ligt. The Italian timely stepped in on a couple of occasions to prevent Roberto Pereyra from receiving between the lines.
Alex Sandro (LB) – 6/10 – The Brazilian impressively dealt with the threat of Udinese wing-back Nahuel Molina as he, like Danilo, performed a fairly traditional full-back function. Instead of surging into the opposition third, Sandro was tasked with delivering penetrative passes in behind from deeper areas. Defensively, there was little to fault.