Malmo FF 0-3 Juventus: 3 key takeaways from Juve’s first UCL night

2. Manuel Locatelli stole the show alongside Rabiot and Bentancur

In the summer, Juventus authorities encountered Sassuolo authorities in countless meetings, not for only drinking coffee and having a chat about football and life beyond that but for haggling over Manuel Locatelli’s transfer price. We all know the stories.

Some say the Old Lady overdid it with their attempt to bring in the former AC Milan midfielder. It was as if Juve were desperate to get the deal over the line this summer. Well, now we get to see why they tried so hard to secure the services of Manuel Locatelli, a breakout star for Italy in the delayed Euro 2020.

Locatelli dictated the play for I Bianconeri last night, but with the help of Adrien Rabiot and, of course, Rodrigo Bentancur.

Other than that, it appeared as if the partnership between Bentancur and Locatelli had gelled quite well, with Locatelli sometimes being the deep-rooted midfielder and Bentancur playing slightly ahead of him or vice versa.

Adrien Rabiot played down the left in the same position he is seen playing for his national team, France. With the ball on his feet, he made a few very threatening, line-breaking darts into Malmo’s territory. But owing to the shortage of offensive bodies in the majority of scenarios, those runs turned out to be futile.

According to the stats from FBref.com, Rabiot and Bentancur won three tackles (most in the game from both teams) each, while Locatelli had two to his name.

Rabiot’s efforts didn’t ignore the eyes of Allegri, either. In the post-match press conference, he heaped praise on the Frenchman by saying (quotes taken from @BianconeriZone Twitter),

"“Rabiot has an extraordinary engine, he doesn’t even know what qualities it has. When he starts with his run, he takes you away. He has also done well technically. His fitness is improving.”"