Juventus player ratings vs SPAL: Cristiano Ronaldo does it again

LB: Alex Sandro 7/10

With all of the changes Juventus death with in this match it was important to have a steadying presence for the defense. Alex Sandro was that presence on Saturday. He is currently Serie A’s best left back and he demonstrated that with his 5 tackles and an interception against SPAL. He didn’t offer much to the attack in this one, but that was probably due partially to the 4-4-2 Juventus played in. He also didn’t really need to make an attacking contribution in this match. Overall, Sandro was the most reliable defender Juve started in this match and he did what he needed to do in order to preserve the clean sheet.

CB: Daniele Rugani 7/10

This was a refreshing sight. I highlighted a lack of playing time as the main reason why Daniele Rugani could end up leaving Juve in January and while this one start won’t be enough to prevent that by itself, it is hopefully a sign of things to come. Rugani should be given these opportunities whenever possible because right now he is the best hope Juve has for the future of its defense.

He didn’t do anything to stand out in this match, but that is to be expected when his last appearance was in October. He still didn’t make any mistakes in the match and is likely only going to get better if he plays more frequently. Juve’s schedule gets tougher over the next month, but he should be trusted with a couple of starts in the next few weeks.

CB: Leonardo Bonucci 7/10

For what seems like the first time in a while I actually don’t have anything negative to say about Leonardo Bonucci’s performance in this match. His performance was very similar to Rugani’s. He didn’t do anything spectacular, but he also didn’t do anything that will have me begging to see Medhi Benatia start against Valencia.

I do find it interesting that he started this match as it could mean Benatia will start over him for another important match, but Bonucci at least took a little bit of the heat off of himself in this one.

RB: Mattia De Sciglio 7/10

Mattia De Sciglio has made life much easier for Massimiliano Allegri since he returned from injury. He has played well enough to allow Allegri to rest Joao Cancelo every once in a while without having to worry about Juan Cuadrado playing right back. He obviously isn’t quite the player that Cancelo is, but he has been easy enough to trust when Cancelo is unavailable.

In this match, he made 2 tackles and 2 interceptions while also sending in an accurate cross. Much like the rest of the defense he was solid but unspectacular. It’s always nice when you have a backup that can consistently deliver that.