Juventus player ratings vs Valencia: Juve overcomes Ronaldo red card

CM: Sami Khedira 4/10

This may seem harsh, especially when he only had 22 minutes to perform. However, Sami Khedira’s only contribution in that time was blowing an easy chance in the center of the box. He probably shouldn’t have gotten the start to begin with and his replacement had a much better performance. That being said, hopefully the injury isn’t too serious.

CM: Blaise Matuidi 7.5/10

Blaise Matuidi once again helped Juventus keep control of the midfield. With Juventus down a man for most of the match it was important for them to control the midfield to have a chance to win the match. Matuidi made a tackle and 2 interceptions in the midfield that kept Valencia from being able to develop an effective attack. He also had a shot on target and a key passes, adding an attacking element to his performance. Matuidi continues to look fantastic in his role as a box-to-box midfielder.

Miralem Pjanic 8.5/10

Miralem Pjanic’s impact on this match was pretty clear. Juve’s gameplan wasn’t exactly tailored to Pjanic once Ronaldo was sent off. With Juve down a man it became more important for Pjanic to provide cover for the defense. However, Pjanic scored Juve’s two goals in the match. His placement was perfect on each penalty. It’s difficult to tell what kind of impact he’d have had if he wasn’t limited by Ronaldo’s red card. Even in a match where he wasn’t able to have his intended impact, he still delivered the decisive goals and a win for Juventus.