LB: Alex Sandro 6/10
Remember the other day when I was praising Alex Sandro for closing down the space on his wing? Well, you can forget about that for this match. He made one of the biggest mistakes you can make on defense in any sport. He left the guy with the ball undefended to go over somebody else and gave Donnarumma the space he needed to score. Outside of that moment, he was pretty average and it was easy not to notice him at all the rest of the way. He had taken steps forward over the last few matches, but I really think Juve needs somebody around to challenge him for his starting spot to get the best out of him.
CB: Leonardo Bonucci 7.5/10
I don’t think there’s a player at Juve who I have been more surprised by than Leonardo Bonucci this season. He has been strong in every match this year and has really taken over as the leader of this defense. He performed well again in the match against Brescia, locking things down in the middle of the field. Hopefully he can keep this up, but first, he should probably get a break over the weekend after starting every match this year (including 2 with Italy).
CB: Matthijs de Ligt 6.5/10
Matthijs de Ligt’s grade doesn’t really have anything to do with him underperforming, but he didn’t really have much to do in this match. Juve dominated possession and what little defending needed to be done in the middle of the field was mostly covered by Bonucci. He at least got another chance to continue working with his new teammates with minimal pressure.
RB: Danilo Inc.
Danilo’s day unfortunately came to an early because of an injury. His 18th minute exit was a sad end to a match where he finally looked like he could contribute to the attack, Hopefully he recovers quickly from the injury.