Juventus player ratings vs Parma: Giorgio Chiellini delivers win in opener
By John Vaccaro
Adrien Rabiot 6.5/10
Adrien Rabiot wasn’t given the start that many expected in this match, but he did eventually get to make his debut. He came on for Sami Khedira in the 62nd minute, but wasn’t able to make much of an impression. He failed to pull the trigger on a pass that would’ve sprung Ronaldo loose down the left side, but did eventually draw a foul on the play. That was pretty much all that was memorable out him in this match. When he eventually does get his first start we’ll get a better impression of what Juventus is going to get out of him.
Juan Cuadrado 6.5/10
Juan Cuadrado made an appearance in this match that I don’t think Juventus was expecting.
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Douglas Costa had some issues in the second half that were hopefully just cramps, but they led to the introduction of Cuadrado. He picked up where Costa left off, giving Juventus a quick option on the right side. He sent in a few crosses, but wasn’t able to impact the match like Costa did. This should be the role we see him in much of the year.
Federico Bernardeschi 6/10
I had flashbacks to last season when Juventus made this sub. Federico Bernardeschi came on in the 82nd with Juventus holding a lead and not really needing him to make an impact on the attacking end. It was really just a cameo for Bernadeschi, but his opportunities to actually make a difference will come eventually.
Manager: Maurizio Sarri 8.5/10
This Juventus squad is already substantially more entertaining than last season’s. The scoreline might not have shown it, but Juve was dangerous throughout the match. We are already starting to see Maurizio Sarri’s influence even if he isn’t on the touchline. Simply put, Juve was dominant on Saturday.
Still, Sarri’s decisions for this match weren’t perfect. To begin with, Sami Khedira should only ever start for Juve in the Coppa Italia or when they are truly desperate in the midfield. Emre Can or Rodrigo Bentancur should have started instead. Starting Leonardo Bonucci isn’t nearly as egregious, but he also should have been left on the bench for a Juve newcomer in Matthijs de Ligt. I also thought that Adrien Rabiot should have started over Blaise Matuidi, although it’s another move that is at least understandable.
This was a good start to the Maurizio Sarri era at Juventus, but he might actually need to be perfect next week.