Juventus succumbed to back-to-back defeats in Serie A on Saturday evening as they were beaten by Hellas Verona 2-1.
An Arthur Melo giveaway in his own third gifted Hellas Verona the opener as the in-form Giovanni Simeone tapped in from close range. Things quickly got worse for an abhorrent Bianconeri as Simeone doubled the hosts’ advantage with a splendid curling effort from outside the area.
Once again worryingly reliant on Paulo Dybala for any source of attacking impetus, Juventus created nothing until Dybala hit the bar just before half-time. The Argentine came close after the break and they were eventually granted a lifeline through substitute Weston McKennie, who finished well from inside the box.
The Bianconeri piled on the pressure in the closing stages, with that man Dybala drawing a superb save from Lorenzo Montipo in the dying embers. However, that would be the closest Juve came to drawing level, as Verona held out for a 2-1 win.
The pressure is mounting on Massimiliano Allegri, and here are the Juventus player ratings from Saturday’s defeat.
Goalkeeper & Defender
Wojciech Szczesny (GK) – 5.5/10 – Szczesny’s return to the XI wasn’t a pleasant one. However, there was little he could do to deny a tap-in then screamer from Simeone. Otherwise, the Poland international wasn’t tested too much but dealt with what he had to comfortably.
Danilo (RB) – 5/10 – Gianluca Caprari had his way with the Juventus right-back in the first half, but Danilo was hardly to blame for his side’s glaring deficiencies. The right-back assisted McKennie’s goal in the second period with a simple pass into the box.
Leonardo Bonucci (CB) – 4.5/10 – Bonucci certainly didn’t enjoy the match-up with Simeone, who bagged an early brace. The Italian failed to orchestrate Juve’s build-up and never looked assured defensively.
Giorgio Chiellini (CB) – 3.5/10 – A poor performance from the veteran. While there was the customary moment of shakiness with the ball, uncharacteristic positional errors were littered in Chiellini’s performance as well. The Italian was tentative when attempting to close space between the lines, which ensured the likes of Antonin Barak had some success in that zone.
Alex Sandro (LB) – 3/10 – I want the pre-October international break Alex Sandro back because this current iteration looks like he has no idea what to do when the ball arrives at his feet. Sure, he isn’t helped by Juve’s woeful positional play, but the Brazilian looks so hesitant in possession.