Dusan Vlahovic drew a blank as Juventus endured a frustrating night out at Sampdoria on Monday.
It was another frustrating night out for Massimiliano Allegri and Juventus as they were held to a goalless stalemate by Sampdoria at the Luigi Ferraris Stadium on Monday night.
The Bianconeri were keen to make it two wins on the spin but were met by a Sampdoria side that was not just resolute in defence but also snuffed the life out of Juventus’s link-up play. The visitors had several players missing due to injury but still had enough quality on the pitch to overwhelm their opponents.
In a game of few opportunities, neither side showed the cutting edge in the final third. The closest either team came to breaking the deadlock was when Adrien Rabiot found the back of the net in the 66th minute. However, it was ruled out for offside, and the scores stayed level.
Filip Kostic made his first start for Juventus and was an electric presence in the final third. He went close to scoring on a couple of occasions, including a 93rd-minute effort that was smartly saved. Youngsters Nicolo Rovella and Fabio Miretti also came on for impressive cameos, giving Allegri much to think about. The Hard Tackle looks at how the Juventus players fared on the night.
3 – Juventus failed to win in both first two matches of a Serie A campaign for the third season in a row, after the Bianconeri have won the first 2 games of the season in all the previous 4 campaigns. Difficulty.#SampJuve pic.twitter.com/AwsfbisMyO
— OptaPaolo ? (@OptaPaolo) August 22, 2022
Mattia Perin: 7/10
The Italian goalkeeper made it two shutouts in two Serie A games and is proving to be an able deputy for Wojciech Szczesny. He showed bravery to deny Mehdi Leris what could have been the match-winner on the night. Overall, Perin dealt with whatever was thrown at him with minimal fuss and was among Juventus’s better players on the night.
No way past @MattiaPerin ⛔️#JuveSassuolo pic.twitter.com/mrqXr0pFBH
— JuventusFC (@juventusfcen) August 16, 2022
Danilo: 5/10
The Brazilian defender held his own but failed to inspire on the night. He struggled to connect with Juan Cuadrado down the right flank and did not function as an outlet for a side that was screaming out for inspiration. Danilo was, however, solid defensively and did not make life difficult for his backline.
Daniele Rugani: 5/10
The Italian stepped in for Leandro Bonucci and gave a good account for himself. Rugani was solid defensively and kept things simple at the back. He also showed off his ability on the ball by making several passes to Filip Kostic. Unfortunately, the Serb was unable to make the most of it.
Gleison Bremer: 5/10
The summer signing dominated one on one duels and did not shy away from a challenge. There were a couple of nervy moments where Sampdoria troubled him but Bremer recovered well to negate the threat. It was a solid yet unspectacular performance by the former Torino man.
Alex Sandro: 4/10
It was a horror show for a player who appeared to be in full throttle on opening day. Sandro struggled to keep Mehdi Leris quiet and came out second best on several occasions. He also picked up a poor booking in the first half and was promptly hauled off by Allegri at half-time. It was a night to forget for the Brazilian star.
Weston McKennie: 4/10
The USMNT international was not short of intent but fell miles below expectations in terms of execution. He attempted to form an understanding with Vlahovic but was unable to find anything meaningful and saw any effort fizz out. His forgettable night came to an end after the hour mark when he was taken off for Fabio Miretti.
Manuel Locatelli: 5/10
The Italian international was not afraid to get stuck in and won the ball back several times on the night. But he failed to make the most of possession and could not dictate the pace of the game. This translated to those around them as Juventus were unable to find a rhythm to their game. While Locatelli was one of the better players out on the park, he was unable to make any difference.
Adrien Rabiot: 5/10
The Frenchman added some flair to the otherwise drab Juventus roster and appeared up for the game. He appeared to have scored in the 66th minute only for VAR to rule Vlahovic offside in the build-up to the strike. He failed to build upon it and was a passenger for the rest of the game.
Juan Cuadrado: 5/10
The Colombian was not at his electrifying best but showed some intent, no matter however brief. He forced Emil Audero into a smart save but would have been better off squaring the ball to Vlahovic. The decision-making was poor in the final third and Cuadrado struggled to find any sort of rhythm with Danilo on the right flank.
Filip Kostic: 5/10
The Serb made his full debut for Juventus on the night and was arguably their best outfield player. He forced Audero into a smart save in the 22nd minute and also went close to securing all three points in the third minute of stoppage time. A promising display from the summer signing.
Dusan Vlahovic: 4/10
The striker struggled to get involved and in his defence was largely starved of service. He struggled to shake off Omar Colley who had his number on the night. Vlahovic gave the Sampdoria defender the slip once and appeared to have assisted Rabiot’s game-winning striker. Unfortunately for him, he was adjudged to have been offside in the buildup. A frustrating night out for a player who wasn’t handed a clear sight of goal all game.
3 – Dusan #Vlahovic made only 3 touches in the first half vs Sampdoria, at least 5 less than any other player on the pitch (Goalkeepers incl.). Alone.#SampJuve pic.twitter.com/rkol75wm9X
— OptaPaolo ? (@OptaPaolo) August 22, 2022
SUBSTITUTES
Mattia De Sciglio: 5/10
The Italian replaced Alex Sandro at the break and did well to shackle Leris in the second half. He however failed to provide much going forward.
Fabio Miretti: 5/10
The youngster’s arrival marked an upturn in fortunes for Juventus and they showed more imagination going forward. A dangerous cameo, Allegri will do well to include Miretti in his starting lineup next week.
Moise Kean: 5/10
The Italian striker showed moments of brilliance and found Kostic with a good pass only for the Serbian to be denied by Audero.
Nicolo Rovella: 5/10
It proved to be an eventful 10-minute cameo for the youngster who linked up well with Miretti. He also earned himself a yellow card in his short stay on the pitch.
