Juventus player ratings vs Genoa: The perfect run is over

LB: Alex Sandro 8/10

In the first half of this match we finally saw the Alex Sandro we’ve been waiting all season for. Throughout the season he has just been sending in crosses without a real target. In this match every cross he sent in was dangerous. Unfortunately none of those crosses led to anything and neither did any of his 5 key passes. Sandro also made an impressive defensive contribution with 3 tackles and 4 interceptions. Sandro’s performance had plenty of potential to be a banner day for him, but Juve’s second half pretty much ruined that chance for anybody.

CB: Medhi Benatia 6.5/10

This would’ve been a pretty solid day for Benatia if he hadn’t given up on the play where Genoa scored their goal. He made a tackle, 3 interceptions, and a clearance in the match, but his blunder on the most important defensive play of the match outweighs all of that. This wasn’t the performance that will get Benatia more regular playing time, but he will get plenty more chances as the schedule gets more hectic in the near future.

CB: Leonardo Bonucci 4/10

I won’t count being wrongly named captain against him, but I’m certainly holding just giving up on the play that led to Genoa’s goal against him. This simply wasn’t a good day for Bonucci. He wasn’t asked to do much and when he was called into action he completely gave up on the play and allowed Genoa to score an easy goal. Yes, it was partially Benatia’s fault, but it was more Bonucci’s fault. While I’m not faulting him for being named captain, I will fault him for what he did while wearing the armband. What he did while wearing the armband was nothing that should ever earn him the role of captain again.

RB: Joao Cancelo 7.5/10

At halftime of this match I was ready to deliver another soliloquy about the virtues of Joao Cancelo. Unfortunately, there were still 45 minutes left in this match and they were an absolute disappointment. Cancelo looked like a force to be reckoned with in the first half, consistently blowing past Genoa’s defenders and creating space for himself. In the second half that was nowhere to be found. That was partially due to the team as a whole seeming to go into cruise control at halftime. I’ve come to expect more from Cancelo and I’m sure we’ll see better from the man who is establishing himself as Serie A’s best right back when Juve travels to Manchester on Tuesday.