Juventus gave their most complete performance of the campaign as they beat Cagliari 2-0 at home in the Serie A on Saturday, with Cristiano Ronaldo shining.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s first-half brace guided Juventus back to winning ways as they climbed to second place on the Serie A table, just one point behind leaders AC Milan, who will be in action against Napoli on Sunday.
Juventus were extremely lively right from the first whistle and came close to scoring several times, including a disallowed goal. It was Ronaldo who ultimately gave the lead to the Bianconeri by cutting in from the left and finishing in style. Soon after, Ronaldo met a Merih Demiral headed flick at the back-post from a set-piece and adjusted his body well to slot the ball into the net.
???? ???? ? ?! ?⚪️⚫️#JuveCagliari #FinoAllaFine #ForzaJuve pic.twitter.com/Xjrwi1vA82
— JuventusFC (@juventusfcen) November 22, 2020
Juventus looked on song as a unit, with some pleasing interplays between their attackers. Overall, it was a strong performance by the defending champions and they can take a lot of positives from that as they head into a busy run of fixtures ahead. The Hard Tackle now runs the rule over Andrea Pirlo’s men.
Gianluigi Buffon: 6/10
It was a quiet night in goal for the veteran versus an attacking Cagliari side. Cagliari failed to hit a shot on target except for one instance when they scored, but the goal was disallowed for offside.
Juan Cuadrado: 8/10
Captain for the game, Cuadrado gave an inspired performance. His 7 key passes were far more than anyone else’s on the night, and his influence in the final third was immense. Not only was Cuadrado stellar going forward but also terrific defensively – making 3 tackles and interceptions each.
Merih Demiral: 8/10
Another solid performance from the increasingly reliable Demiral. The Turk’s ball distribution was second to none as he completed 85 passes at a 100 percent success rate. Demiral also won each of his aerial duels, and it was his flick on that got the assist for Juventus and Ronaldo’s second goal.
Demiral stats v Cagliari
▪94 Touches
▪— 99% Passes success
▪3/4 Long balls succeed
▪1/2 Tackles won
▪10 Duels won
▪3 Clearances
▪1 Interception
▪3 Chances created
▪2 Key passes
▪1 Shot on woodwork
▪1 AssistVery consistency. pic.twitter.com/nH3uVdHdIG
— Max Statman (@eMaxStatman) November 21, 2020
Matthijs de Ligt: 7/10
It was an impressive performance by the returning de Ligt, who complemented Demiral at the heart of the Juventus defence. The Juventus backline looks secure for the foreseeable future with these two. The Dutchman won all his ground duels and played some nice passes from the back.
Danilo: 6/10
Not the best of performances by Danilo, who transitioned from left-back to a more inverted centre-back-like role. Danilo did not join the attack as much as the situation allowed him to and also lost the ball cheaply at times. Apart from that, it was just another day at the office for him and he did his bit to help Juventus keep a clean sheet.
Dejan Kulusevski: 7/10
Kulusevski has looked better with each passing game as he combines beautifully with Ronaldo and Morata. The Swede played 3 key passes and got into some great areas. Kulusevski could have done better with his finishing his chances as he ended the night goalless.
Berna stats v Cagliari
▪73 Touches
▪5/6 Take-ons won
▪2/2 Tackles won
▪1/7 Crosses succeed
▪3 Key passes
▪1 Big chance missedKulusevski stats v Cagliari
▪61 Touches
▪1/3 Take-ons won
▪2/3 Tackles won
▪2 Interception
▪3 Key passesYeah, they were good.
— Max Statman (@eMaxStatman) November 21, 2020
Arthur: 8/10
One of the unsung heroes of the big team performance and Juventus’s season. Arthur has looked increasingly impressive and done well to fill Miralem Pjanic’s shoes. Arthur registered the highest touches on the ball and had a passing completion of 96 percent. A few more vertical passes added to his game could really help him become even better.
Adrien Rabiot: 7/10
Despite having a hectic international break, Rabiot looked on top of his game yet again. The Frenchman did the dirty work in midfeld, making 4 tackles and cleaning up in front of the backline. Rabiot also combined well with his teammates while attacking playing some neat one-touch passes.
Federico Bernadeschi: 8/10
Bernadeschi is really making a case for himself in this deep Juventus squad following a fantastic performance. The Italian completed 4 dribbles and played 3 key passes. He was very involved in all of Juventus’s attacks and even had a goal disallowed for offside. It was a fine finish at the near post.
Alvaro Morata: 6/10
Morata has seemed to regain his touch in Juventus colours, but it was not the best of nights for the Spaniard, who got replaced at the 70th minute with no goal contribution to his name. Morata lost the ball 15 times and failed to hit the target even once. Plus, his problem of straying offside is costing Juventus some costly goals this season and it is a habit he must fix.
Cristiano Ronaldo: 9/10
Ronaldo has now scored 8 goals in 5 Serie A matches and is truly showing his worth as one of the game’s greatests. His impact for the Bianconeri has been immense and his numbers don’t lie. His goals have been crucial, but apart from them, Ronaldo has increasingly combined more with his teammates and brought them into play.
His chemistry with Morata and Kulusevski is pleasing to the eye and certainly one to watch out for. A solid 9 for the man on fire.
Cristiano Ronaldo is now just 10 goals away from becoming the player with the most official goals in football history. ? pic.twitter.com/U9vAIP4AVQ
— Football Tweet (@Football__Tweet) November 21, 2020
Substitutes
Weston McKennie: 6/10
McKennie came on in the 70th minute for Rabiot, who looked on the verge of being sent off after some silly fouls. The USMNT international was unable to make much of an impact in his 20 minutes on the pitch.
Paulo Dybala: 7/10
Dybala replaced the lacklustre Morata and injected a lot of intent in the Juventus team that looked to slow down towards the latter stages of the second half. Dybala seems to have lost his spot with both Chiesa and Kulusevski also impressing, but his performance surely must have sent a message across to the manager. It was an impactful cameo.
Rodrigo Bentancur: N/A
Did not play enough to warrant a rating.
Federico Chiesa: N/A
Good to see that Chiesa is back to full fitness.
Alex Sandro: N/A
It was Sandro’s first appearance of the season and he would look to get more minutes under his belt as Juventus enter a long run of games.
