Juventus player ratings vs Atletico Madrid: Magic from Sandro and Cuadrado not enough

CM: Blaise Matuidi 7.5/10

I continue to believe that Juve’s midfield selections are a mistake they’ve been making over and over again. However, Blaise Matuidi was much better than usual in this match. He actually gave Atletico’s defense some trouble in the first half and eventually ended up heading home Juve’s second goal. He had some great moments in this match, but this will hopefully be the last time we see him in a Champions League match for Juve as his contributions were limited outside of those moments.

CM: Sami Khedira 3/10

Sami Khedira was like the kid in pickup basketball that you didn’t want on your team and don’t give the ball to all game. I honestly don’t remember him touching the ball throughout the match. In fact, at one point in the second half I had to check to make sure that I didn’t miss him getting subbed off. He continues to hold Juventus back and it would be a massive mistake to not let all of Juve’s more talented midfielders get a shot at this spot in the next 3 matches.

CM: Miralem Pjanic 6.5/10

As is usually the case, Pjanic’s passing accuracy in this match was ridiculous and it helped keep Atletico at bay for a while. The problem is that his high accuracy numbers also indicate just how few risks he takes. In this iteration of the midfield, he is Juve’s best chance to make a difference in the attack with his passing, but instead he focused too much on playing a controlled match. His performance was fine and probably won’t draw any attention once he has more talented players around him, but it just wasn’t what Juve needed in this match.