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

Rodrigo Bentancur 6.5/10

Rodrigo Bentancur wasn’t great in this match, but he was able to make a couple of big tackles to help Juve protect their lead. Unfortunately, his presence wasn’t enough to help the defense keep the lead until the final whistle, but he was at least had a positive influence while on the field. He should start this weekend.

Paulo Dybala 6/10

Paulo Dybala came on for 16 minutes in this match and didn’t really accomplish much during his

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time on the field. Juve brought him on as fresh legs to keep some pressure on Atletico’s defense, but he didn’t really give them anything to worry about. Before the season started I wasn’t really sure what his fit was and his 2 substitute appearances this season haven’t done anything to change that.

Aaron Ramsey Inc.

He didn’t get the chance to make his mark on this match, but it was great to see Aaron Ramsey finally able to make it onto the field. His injury struggles have carried over into the start of his Juventus career, but now that he is healthy, we will see a new dimension added to the Juve midfield. Sarri will likely ease him into the squad, but I wouldn’t be shocked if he is in the starting lineup for the next Champions League match.

Manager: Maurizio Sarri 4/10

There was a lot wrong with Maurizio Sarri’s managing in this match. Sami Khedira continues to waste a starting spot with his presence. Even though he scored, I still really don’t think that Juan Cuadrado was the right selection on the right wing. Federico Bernardeschi is a flat-out better player than Cuadrado and he was phenomenal against Atletico last season. I also don’t think that Sarri has figured this squad out yet. He has a specific system that he wants to play, but players like Cuadrado, Matuidi, and Khedira don’t fit that system. He either needs to change the system or change the lineup. The biggest issue is obviously another blown lead. In the past, Juve would blow these leads because Allegri would invite the other team to attack without the threat of any kind of counterattack.

Now I believe that the issue is entirely due to personnel. At some point the fact that players like Matuidi, Khedira, and Cuadrado just aren’t good enough to compete with these top clubs becomes too much for Juve to overcome. They kept pressure on Atletico late in the match, nearly adding a 3rd goal on 2 separate occasions, but it just wasn’t enough to hold Atletico off. He’s still getting his footing with Juve, but something needs to change for Sarri because these last 3 matches have been riddled with issues.