Juventus came from behind to earn their first Serie A victory of the season away at Spezia.
A poor Bianconeri took the lead through a superb Moise Kean strike but they were quickly pegged back by a fine Emmanuel Gyasi effort. Things then went from bad to worse for Max Allegri’s men as Janis Antiste gave the hosts the lead shortly after the restart.
However, a persistent Federico Chiesa levelled proceedings after the hour mark before Matthijs de Ligt finished coolly from a corner to give the visitors their second lead of the contest. The centre-back’s strike proved the difference as Juve just about held off a late Spezia resurgence.
Here are the Juventus player ratings from their hard-fought victory.
Goalkeeper & Defenders
Wojciech Szczesny (GK) – 6/10 – Yet again, a huge save from Tek preserved the points for Juventus. The Pole saved superbly from Giulio Maggiore in the dying embers. Otherwise, a pair of deflections were his undoing for Spezia’s goals.
Danilo (RB) – 5/10 – The Brazilian should’ve perhaps done more to prevent Gyasi from getting a shot away for Spezia’s initial equaliser, but he was otherwise unphased by the Ghanaian’s threat. However, he almost fatally went to sleep at the back post late on, but he was bailed out by his goalkeeper.
Leonardo Bonucci (CB) – 6/10 – Thanks to the Italian’s precise passing capacity, Juventus were able to progress upfield on Wednesday evening amid their struggles. Bonucci’s passing range was on full display, with his pinpoint pass for Adrien Rabiot creating the opener. However, he was beaten comprehensively by Antiste in transition for Spezia’s second.
Matthijs de Ligt (CB) – 8/10 – The saviour. The composed finish of the returning de Ligt proved Juventus’ much-needed winner in this one. His goal capped off a rather excellent performance. He certainly wasn’t to blame for the visitors’ defensive vulnerabilities.
Mattia De Sciglio (LB) – 4/10 – The versatile De Sciglio was hooked at half-time after an uninfluential 45 minutes. He was beaten a couple of times by Spezia combinations down his flank, while he offered nothing from an attacking perspective.
Midfielders
Federico Chiesa (RM) – 8/10 – It was his absurd persistence that earned Juve an equaliser. After appearing disconnected from his side’s disjointed attack in the first half, Chiesa took the game to Spezia after the break as the Bianconeri sought to save face. His influence increased considerably after switching to the left.
Weston McKennie (CM) – 5/10 – The American’s movement between the lines was an early bright spot, but there were just too many errors in McKennie’s performance. He harried and hassled as much as he could out of possession, but looked worryingly limited in possession.
Rodrigo Bentancur (CM) – 4/10 – Bentancur’s return to a regista-esque function was a forgettable one. Juventus struggled to progress via the Uruguayan as he consistently dawdled in possession and failed to create sufficient angles. He just looked a little lost out there and it was no surprise he was brought off at half-time.
Adrien Rabiot (LM) – 5/10 – The Frenchman provided the assist for Kean with his only penetrative sequence of the contest. He was certainly inhibited by De Sciglio’s incompetence outside of him, but such struggles were easy to foreshadow. He must have Alex Sandro or Luca Pellegrini overlapping from left-back if he’s to be effective in this role. That’s on the manager.
Forwards
Paulo Dybala (CF) – 5.5/10 – The Argentine tried his utmost to drag Juventus back into the contest after the break and although they were eventually successful, Dybala didn’t have much of a say. There wasn’t a whole lot that came off for the playmaker tonight, with his shooting particularly erratic.
Moise Kean (ST) – 7/10 – Kean did well with minimal service on Wednesday. There were a couple of bright sequences of centre forward play, with a well-taken goal, his first since returning to the club, his undisputed highlight. Overall, his influence was positive and he was perhaps harshly taken off on the hour mark.
Substitutes
Manuel Locatelli – 6/10
Alex Sandro – 6/10
Alvaro Morata – 6/10
Federico Bernardeschi – 6/10
Dejan Kulusevski – N/A