Paulo Dybala proved he really can't do it on his own, while Juan Cuadrado and Medhi Benatia made a mockery of Max Allegri's team selection.
Words: Tom Scholes
Gianluigi Buffon: 6
Buffon wasn’t exactly helped by the defence in front of him, but we can all say he’s had better games in the past. His saves in the first half kept Juve in with a shouting chance, but giving away the penalty didn’t aid his cause.
Paulo Dybala proved he really can't do it on his own, while Juan Cuadrado and Medhi Benatia made a mockery of Max Allegri's team selection.
Words: Tom Scholes
Gianluigi Buffon: 6
Buffon wasn’t exactly helped by the defence in front of him, but we can all say he’s had better games in the past. His saves in the first half kept Juve in with a shouting chance, but giving away the penalty didn’t aid his cause.
Giorgio Chiellini: 5
Chiellini was fairly solid for large parts of the game, but really did look like he could be beaten with pace easily. Obviously, he is still a good defender, no one can question that, but he is looking rather lost without his former partner in crime Leonardo Bonucci. It will take time for them to get used to life without Leo, but it isn’t looking great so far.
Medhi Benatia: 5
Similar to Chiellini, Benatia dealt with most of what came his way, but he didn’t look like anything special, certainly not Juve level. With Daniele Rugani coming up in to the first team, Benatia will probably find his chances limited, but with performances like this you can see why.
Andrea Barzagli: 4
Very few 36-year-olds can put in a shift at right-back, but Barzagli gave it his best shot, despite his lack of forward runs. He offers solidity at the back, but that’s about it and it left you wondering why didn’t Mattia De Sciglio start?
Alex Sandro: 6
Probably the most active of the Juve side in the first half, Alex Sandro tried to create something early on and nearly provided an assist for Dybala, but after that he wasn’t able to do much. Poor by his standards, but still decent compared to his teammates on the night.
Juan Cuadrado: 4
Cuadrado is clearly a talented player, but how does he still get a game? He offers nothing but pace, but most of the time his end product was wasted and didn’t reach a player in black and white. His turnover gifted Lazio the penalty.
Miralem Pjanic: 5
Pjanic will be disappointed in his showing, not being able to dictate play like he would’ve wanted and even poor from free kicks. He needs a midfielder next to him that will cover his defensive duties, allowing him to spread the play out.
Sami Khedira: 4
Speaking of having another defensive midfielder next to Pjanic, it’s easy to see why Juve have been actively searching on the market. Khedira just isn’t the same as he was even last season and it really slows the team down at times. Is his time at the club up?
Paulo Dybala: 6
Probably the only Juve player who can come out of this with his head held high, with his free kick and penalty being the only reason Juve lasted as long as they did. Dybala really is the gem of the team, but as tonight proved, he cannot do it on his own.
Mario Mandzukic: 4
Anonymous for the majority of the game, it was a bit weird that Mandzukic started, especially when Allegri had both Douglas Costa and Federico Bernardeschi on the bench. Poor from Mandzukic, but that seemed to be the pattern of play for Juve tonight.
Gonzalo Higuain: 4
How can one score without actually having chances? Simple, you can’t and Higuain found this out the hard way tonight. It’s hard to lay blame on the guy when he just didn’t get all that many chances to put the ball away.
Subs:
Douglas Costa for Cuadrado: 6
Costa looked bright when coming on and gave Juventus a spring in their step once he replaced Cuadrado, begging the question why he didn’t start.
De Sciglio for Benatia: 4
The former Milan full-back still can’t put in a decent cross and was skinned by Jordan Lukaku for the decisive goal.