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Juventus player ratings vs SPAL: Cristiano Ronaldo does it again

By John Vaccaro

ALLIANZ STADIUM, TURIN, ITALY - 2018/11/24: Cristiano Ronaldo of Juventus FC celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the Serie A football match between Juventus FC and SPAL. Juventus FC won 2-0 over SPAL. (Photo by Nicolò Campo/LightRocket via Getty Images)
ALLIANZ STADIUM, TURIN, ITALY - 2018/11/24: Cristiano Ronaldo of Juventus FC celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the Serie A football match between Juventus FC and SPAL. Juventus FC won 2-0 over SPAL. (Photo by Nicolò Campo/LightRocket via Getty Images) /
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24th November 2018, Allianz Stadium, Turin, Italy; Serie A football, Juventus versus SPAL; Mohamed Fares of Spal challenges Douglas Costa of Juventus unfairly (photo by Pierpaolo Piciucco/Action Plus via Getty Images)
24th November 2018, Allianz Stadium, Turin, Italy; Serie A football, Juventus versus SPAL; Mohamed Fares of Spal challenges Douglas Costa of Juventus unfairly (photo by Pierpaolo Piciucco/Action Plus via Getty Images) /

LM: Douglas Costa 8/10

This was Douglas Costa’s best match of the year by a pretty wide margin. SPAL never looked like they had an answer for his pace and he caused problems down the left side throughout the game. He wasn’t able to get himself on the scoresheet, but that was just about all that he didn’t do.

He put 4 shots on target in the match, including one that forced a save that led to Mandzukic’s goal. He was also inches away from scoring a goal of his own when he blasted a shot off the far post after a free kick. Costa looks to be recovering from his suspension and injury, which is bad news for everybody else looking to start on the right wing.

CM: Miralem Pjanic 7.5/10

I can’t believe Massimiliano Allegri actually started Pjanic, but Juve ended up getting exactly what they had been waiting for from Pjanic all season. He returned early from international duty due to an injury that resulted from fatigue, which is pretty understandable considering he hasn’t been given a match off by Juve since September. However, he showed no signs of fatigue when he dropped in a beautiful cross from a free kick to set up Ronaldo’s goal. It was only his second assist of the season and it is hopefully a sign of things to come. A day off should come first, but more of the beautiful free kicks we’ve grown accustomed to from Pjanic will hopefully follow that rest.

CM: Rodrigo Bentancur 7/10

Against SPAL, Rodrigo Bentancur once again showed that Juve can trust him when they need him. He picked up some of the defensive slack in Blaise Matuidi’s absence and was a big part of the reason why most of SPAL’s possession came in their own half. He wasn’t a big contributor to the attack, but he maintained a 92.5% pass accuracy to help Juventus keep possession while they tried to break down a compact SPAL defense. This youngster continues to play well for Juve and figures to be a big part of this team as the midfield recovers from its injuries.

RM: Juan Cuadrado 7/10

Juan Cuadrado wasn’t quite as productive as his counterpart on the left side of the field, but he did manage to make some contributions when Juve did attack down the right side. He made 3 key passes and completed a cross in a match where he connected well with the rest of the midfield. He looked comfortable playing as a wide midfielder, but this was unfortunately not the type of performance that will help him keep his starting job. He needs to make a bigger contribution in future matches if he hopes to be chosen over Costa and Federico Bernardeschi.

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