Final result: Juventus-Roma 0-0
JUVENTUS
By Gregory 6 – He practically never has to intervene. At most he is seen for some exits or for the precision in the construction from below.
Savona 6 – Schooly tonight, but still attentive and focused. Thiago Motta confirms his great faith in him by keeping him on the field for the entire match despite the tactical change at half-time.
Cats 7 – Legend has it that Dovbyk is still in his pocket. He sticks to the Ukrainian’s back and completely annihilates him. It is the most beautiful duel of the evening and the captain (for one night?) of the black and whites wins by a landslide. Impeccable.
Bremer 6 – He holds the field well, he doesn’t give space to those who pass through his area. Not a difficult match for someone with his qualities.
Cabal 6 – Business as usual on his side. Only one half on the pitch, without any mistakes and with great ferocity in the only occasion in which he comes forward in the penalty area. From 46′ Koopmeiners 5.5 – He struggles to get into the thick of the game and isn’t very precise when trying to feed his teammates: not a debut to be framed.
Locatells 5.5 – He loses many, too many balls in the first half. And he is not the best in speed with the ball at his feet. Result? Juventus is little (or never) dangerous in vertical play. From 66′ Douglas Luiz 6 – He moves a lot, he always goes looking for the ball, sometimes he makes it disappear thanks to his technique when he is in possession. Sufficient.
Beans 5.5 – Off you go, he gets a yellow card and has to tone down his aggression. He participates in the ball circulation, but he is slow and inconsistent this time. From 66′ McKennie 5.5 – Less than half an hour on the pitch, but without managing to make an impact. And perhaps with little desire to do so.
Change 6 – He starts as a winger, in the second half he goes back to full-back, but in reality he acts all over the pitch: as a midfielder in construction, as a raider if the penalty area needs to be filled. He shines less than on other nights, but he is perhaps the most valuable player – for his versatility – for Thiago Motta’s chessboard.
Yildiz 6 – It takes him a while to find the patch of ground where he can cause harm. There is no space in the center, so he often comes wide and finds the right position to become a thorn in the Giallorossi’s side.
Mbangula 5.5 – The surprise of this start to the season for the Bianconeri is this time out of line: light, timid and not always precise in his defensive retreats. From 46′ Conceiçao 6.5 – He lowers himself to touch the highest number of balls, he points at the man as soon as he can, he immediately growls at the opponent if he happens to lose the ball. The attitude is exactly that of someone who debuts in a new team, in a new championship, and wants to break the world.
Vlahović 5.5 – Not an easy match, with few balls available. But in the midst of this mass of goal-scoring opportunities, he creates the biggest chance, with a movement worthy of a number 9 on Ndicka. Of course, he also makes some mistakes, such as controls under pressure: in those situations, you expect more from someone like him. From 83′ Nico Gonzalez sv
Thiago Motta 6 – It’s certainly not his best Juventus, but he certainly liked the compactness and the attitude. He still trusts the young Savona and Mbangula, in the second half he tries to mix things up by inserting Conceiçao and Koopmeiners, but it comes out a dull 0-0: a fair draw with his friend De Rossi.
ROME (Edited by Christian Sgura)
Svilar 6 – He makes only one important save in the first half on Vlahovic and is ready. Then he has a relatively quiet evening.
Celik 6.5 – He contains Mbangula well and almost never makes mistakes in defence. In attack his crosses leave a bit to be desired, but tonight’s performance is a great starting point.
Mancini 6 – Match played without defections and particular shortcomings. Promoted.
Ndicka 7 – He doesn’t leave a space. A wall today. Vlahovic has a hard time and beyond a couple of (rare) occasions he never breaks through.
Angelino 6.5 – We expected the usual proactive full-back who leaves out a few things in the coverage phase, but defensively tonight he is perfect. He also comes close to scoring in the 90th minute.
Peas 6 – A surprise choice by De Rossi, he played a game with great determination and proved to be a player the coach can rely on in the future. (From 72′ Koné 6 – The latest purchase of the Giallorossi enters well and with personality)
Cristante 6.5 – In the storm this week over the alleged argument with De Rossi, he responded on the pitch with a great performance to protect his defense.
Pilgrims 6 – The captain almost scored in the first half with a nice right-footed shot from outside the box deflected by Bremer and still remained in the center of the game. A big improvement compared to the first two outings. (From 82′ Baldanzi SV)
Soule 5.5 – One of the several exes of the evening fails to make an impact. Much more was expected from these first three games in the yellow and red jersey. (From 62′ Dybala 5.5 – He starts from the bench unexpectedly, but when he comes on he doesn’t make an impact.)
Doubt 5 – It was certainly a tough match for the last top scorer in La Liga, Bremer is a tough opponent and doesn’t leave him any space or way to make an impact. If he at least tries in the first half, in the second half he disappears completely. (From 82′ Shomurodov SV)
Saelemaekers 6 – Immediately a surprise starter in place of Dybala, he proved to be always dangerous with the ball at his feet, in a difficult and very blocked match. (From 62′ Zalewski 6 – Tonight he entered better compared to the matches against Empoli and Cagliari, often challenging Savona on the left wing.)
De Rossi 6.5 – He makes some heavy decisions in choosing the formation, excluding Paredes and Dybala, a bit surprisingly. In the end, the inclusion of Pisilli and Saelemaekers on the field pays off and before the break, a good performance like the one tonight is lifeblood for the whole environment.