Juventus player ratings vs Valencia: Mario Mandzukic sends Juve through to knockout stages
By John Vaccaro
LW: Cristiano Ronaldo 8/10
Juventus has developed a trend this season based on the arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo. The trend is that they struggle to score regardless of much they control play until Ronaldo does Ronaldo things. Against Valencia, that Ronaldo thing was creating the space to send in a cross that led to Juve’s goal. For the last month that Ronaldo thing has been scoring or assisting a goal in all 5 matches in the month of November.
Throughout the match he was a nuisance. He sent in crosses, put shots on target, and just generally made life difficult for Valencia’s defense. It was the type of performance that has led to Ronaldo scoring 10 goals and assisting 6 more in 17 appearances this season. He once again delivered a win for Juve and showed how a 33-year-old can be worth a 100 million euro transfer fee.
ST: Mario Mandzukic 8.5/10
I can’t imagine many people saw this coming, but Mario Mandzukic has completely filled the void left by Gonzalo Higuain this year. His goal against Valencia was his 7th in 14 appearances and was yet another created in part by his constant movement. His effort in this match even led to him being Juve’s leading tackler, which is incredible for a striker. His 5 tackles and 2 interceptions once again showed how much Mandzukic hustles throughout a match. He also almost scored another goal in the match, forcing a save from his former teammate.
RW: Paulo Dybala 7/10
This was probably the best match Paulo Dybala has played on the wing, but it still wasn’t the type of performance that should lock this starting spot down for him. He sent in 3 accurate crosses and also managed to put a dangerous shot on target. However, he once again disappeared for stretches in the match and had some pretty bad touches that either put Juve in a bad position or let Valencia off the hook when Juve had a dangerous attack. It wasn’t a great day, but it was the best Dybala has looked on the right wing. Hopefully, it means he’s getting more comfortable there because Allegri seems set on starting him in the 4-3-3.