Danilo and Alvaro Morata are the only players who made an impression while Paulo Dybala was sub-par as Juventus were handed a 2-0 defeat by Barcelona.
Juventus were instantly put to the sword, as Wojciech Szczesny first denied Miralem Pjanic before seeing Antoine Griezmann clattering the upright, all within the first four minutes. Barcelona then went on to grab the lead through Ousmane Dembele, whose speculative effort deflected off Federico Chiesa to loop past Szczesny.
The game was an end-to-end affair thereafter, with the visitors continuing to pose the greater threat in front of goal. However, Juventus, and Alvaro Morata in particular, will count themselves as unlucky after they found the back of the net three times, only to have their effort ruled out for offside on each occasion.
Juventus’s predicament worsened in the 85th minute, when Merih Demiral was sent off for a second bookable offence before Barcelona put the game to bed via Lionel Messi, who converted from the spot after Ansu Fati was brought down by Federico Bernardeschi. The Hard Tackle now runs the rule over Andrea Pirlo’s men.
FT | ⏱ | Full-time at the Allianz. #JuveBarça #JuveUCL #ForzaJuve pic.twitter.com/PwDkdGqImj
— JuventusFC (@juventusfcen) October 28, 2020
Wojciech Szczesny: 6.5/10
A near faultless game by Szczesny, who really did not put a foot wrong in the game. The Pole could not have done anything to stop either of Barcelona’s goals, with the first catching him wrong footed after a deflection of Federico Chiesa while Lionel Messi’s late penalty was struck quite well. Made 2 saves and completed each of his attempted passes. Just one of those unlucky days.
Juan Cuadrado: 5/10
Up against Pedri on his flank, Cuadrado made a reasonably strong start to the game but found himself being outnumbered once Jordi Alba started bombing forward regularly. The second half, in particular, was a horror show for the Colombian, who got turned by Pedri multiple times. Going forward, he was a threat and created a fine chance while misplacing just 7 passes all game.
Merih Demiral: 5/10
A difficult game for Demiral, with Messi being in the menacing mood that he was in on Wednesday. The 22-year-old was kept busy all through the game, but managed to win just 2 of the 5 duels he contested and even made an error that led to an effort. Worked well on the ball, though, completing 96 percent of his 77 attempted passes. The late challenge for the red card, though, was unnecessary.
Leonardo Bonucci: 6/10
Much like his partner at the heart of the Juventus defence, Bonucci endured a difficult evening. The Juventus skipper, though, made a couple of vital blocks while also clearing the ball four times. But, he was also dribbled past twice and won just 1 duel in the game. Much like his teammates, though, the veteran defender was reliable on the ball, losing possession just 5 times.
Danilo: 7/10
The clear standout in the game for Danilo. The Brazilian did have his fair share of troubles against Ousmane Dembele. But in an all-action display, he made 4 interceptions while winning a staggering 8 tackles – one of those being a last-ditch effort to deny Messi. Did not carry a significant threat in the final third, but he too was precise with the ball at his feet.
Rodrigo Bentancur: 5/10
Bentancur had the task of keeping Messi and Antoine Griezmann quiet, but the Uruguayan was not quite up to the task against Barcelona. The youngster was completely overrun in midfield and apart from the solitary interception he completed, he did not have anything to show for his efforts. Quite wasteful on the ball as well, Bentancur lost possession 16 times even as he played in 1 key pass.
Adrien Rabiot: 6/10
The better of the two Juventus midfielders. Rabiot played the ball accurately, misplacing just 4 passes while also creating one chance. In a busy night, the Frenchman won and lost 10 duels each and even had a chance to find the back of the net himself, only to shoot his effort wide of target. Off the ball he too had his struggles, as he was dribbled past an alarming 6 times. Hot and cold.
Dejan Kulusevski: 5/10
One for the future, Kulusevski has been proving himself to be the guy for the here and now as well of late. However, the game against Barcelona was part of the Swede’s steep learning curve, as he struggled to impose himself on Wednesday. The youngster only managed to complete 77 percent of his attempted passes while his only effort was off target. There will be better days.
Paulo Dybala: 4/10
The go-to man for Pirlo in attack against Barcelona in the absence of Cristiano Ronaldo, this was Dybala’s chance to prove he can shoulder greater responsibility in the final third. However, the Argentine was anonymous in his impact, with his vertical passes carrying little threat while he also failed to aim a shot at Neto all game. Needs to improve a great deal.
Federico Chiesa: 5/10
Coming into the side in place of Federico Bernardeschi, Chiesa was quite invisible for the most part. In fact, the time was visible was when Dembele’s shot deflected off him for Barcelona’s opener. Otherwise, the Italian international was hardly involved and made little impact on the defensive front. A game to forget.
Alvaro Morata: 6.5/10
13 – Álvaro Morata, who has had three goals ruled out for offside tonight against Barcelona, has been caught offside 13 times in the Champions League since the start of last season – only Timo Werner (also 13) can match his tally. ÁlVARo. pic.twitter.com/C2FD1aQcZ5
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) October 28, 2020
The best player in attack for Juventus. Morata would consider himself to be the unluckiest man on the pitch on Wednesday. The Spanish striker bundled the ball past Neto thrice, only to be denied each time. Made quite an impact with his passes as well, though, creating a team-high 3 chances. On another day, he could have gone home with a goal or three.
SUBSTITUTES
Weston McKennie: N/A
On for Kulusevski, McKennie was hardly involved in the 15 minutes he spent on the pitch, getting on the ball just 9 times.
Federico Bernardeschi: N/A
A late introduction, Bernardeschi needed to make a difference in the Barcelona box. Instead, he made all the difference inside the Juventus area, bringing Ansu Fati down to concede a late penalty.
Arthur: N/A
Given the final 10 minutes or so to spark a comeback, the former Barcelona midfielder hardly had saw the ball while on the pitch.
