Juventus were in scintillating form, brushing aside Sassuolo with a masterclass from Paulo Dybala and Gonzalo Higuain.
Do you agree with our ratings ? Have your say below.
Gigi Buffon
Made a great save early on to deny Sassuolo but he was at fault for the goal, getting himself caught out with a rare mistake judgement. Rarely troubled after that.
5.5 / 10
Stephan Lichtsteiner
Gave the kind of performance that makes you wonder if it was a good idea to leave him out of the CL squad. Could and should have scored a goal and made a fantastic goal-line clearance. Superb.
6.5 / 10
Giorgio Chiellini
Had a chance to add to Juve’s goal tally but his header was just wide. Defensively sound, good tackling. Solid.
6.0 / 10
Leonardo Bonucci
Should have added to the score but his header blazed just wide of the far post. Played the ball out from defence with typical composure and made some decent interceptions as well.
6.0 / 10
Medhi Benatia
Seems all the more impressive the more often he plays. Kept Ragusa in his pocket for the duration of the game. A promising display.
6.0 / 10
Miralem Pjanic
Sublime range of passing, looked as though he had been playing in this midfield for years, great understanding with his teammates already and a goal to cap off a great debut!
6.5 / 10
Sami Khedira
Another game, another key performance, creating space for his teammates, getting into the box at every chance and setting up a goal for Higuain. So important to Juve’s midfield and the club are still unbeaten in Serie A whenever he has started matches.
7.5 / 10
Mario Lemina
Exceptional in front of the defenders today, 97% of passes completed (100% in the first half) – Tackled well but it was his range of passing that really impressed, regularly looking to get Juve moving. Excellent
7.0 / 10
Alex Sandro
Looked more like his usual self after a poor display in the opening weeks. Good crosses in from the left, often cutting in to try and create. Had a half-chance to score. Improved
6.0 / 10
Gonzalo Higuain
What to say? Put Juve ahead with the game barely started and soon scored a second to make the game comfortable. Ran in and around the Sassuolo defence at every opportunity and showed clinical finishing – Man of the Match.
8.0 / 10
Paulo Dybala
Played with more freedom than last season, dropping deep to collect the ball, linking up with Pjanic to create chances, providing assists for Higuain….sublime !
7.5 / 10
Max Allegri
Fielded his best Juve XI and the result shows that. No doubt, he’ll be mad they didn’t score more, but the balance in the team was perfect and Sassuolo barely saw any of the ball for 90 mins. Great subs to keep the attack and midfield ticking over. Bravo Mister !
Substitutes
Mario Mandzukic
Came on late with the game already won – Had few opportunities to create anything of note.
N/A
Marko Pjaca
Came on late with the game already won – Had few opportunities to create anything of note.
N/A
Hernanes
Came on late with the game already won – Had few opportunities to create anything of note.
N/A
I think A. Sandro better then 6 , I”ll say 7. FORZA JUVE
he definitely improved, but Antei’ goal is his mistake, no ? and if i’m not mistaken, the last time we conceded from a corner kick was his fault as well. 6 is a fair number.
Khedira and Dybala really stood out as world class players. Lemina was much improved, for he was passing forwards more than simply lateral or backwards. Pjanic first showing was useful and tidy. Higuain’s finishing was superb. I cannot wait for him to be fully fit.
Sassuolo were poor, yet we still ran risks, despite creating enough chances to win 8-1. This worries me, as better teams will make more of the chances, and its a bother when any mistake we make leads to a chance for the opponents.
Still…we are early doors, so much more is to come. 9 points from 9, and this was perhaps our finest showing of the larval stagione. We are not playing 3-5-2 by any measure other than the line-up which appears on screen prior to the game and on whoscored thereafter. Dybala has been very much moved to a roaming trequartista with his only hint of an anchor on the RM flank. I cannot help but note the Polak in his zeal for he seems to have a soldierly edge to his game, as well as blossoming in the creative role and what really stood out, was that he did not seem at all tired when he was taken off. And Khedira is more often found in the final third than anyone but Higuain. I admire Allegri’s innovation and see it as something new and exciting.
Our first two serious tests await this coming week. They will offer a measure of both our european and domestic standing. Other than which…Buffon seems out of sorts, not just for the goal, which I blame more on Sandro – whose misplaced pass and weak header played their part. Lichsteiner was solid. Mandzukic will worsen without playing regularly.
We are winning games easily, yet have not played yet against a side capable of seriously threatening…
I think the team played a very solid game from the get go. Khedira continues to be a monster smacked in the middle of everything. So far he has been our best player, no comparison! Dyabala got a bit unlucky with the post but Pjanic finished it up. Obviously a Sassuolo without Berardi, Sansone is a much weaker side to say the least. We are seeing progress as the team continues to grow together, notably Lemina. I’ve been saying it from day one, he will be one of our top players by years end. Perhaps there is much he can learn on the offensive front but I like the fact that he doesn’t hold the ball too long like pogba did, he pushes it forward to our striking duo. Yesterday Leminas passing was 97% for the game, very impressive. On the defensive side I am a bit disappointed Rugani didn’t see any playing time as I would’ve hoped Barzagli got a day off but with all the games left to play I’m sure he will get his chances. I am optimistic yet cautious, we really haven’t played a team on our level yet, no one even a level below lets be fair. I guess the real testement will be C.L
Glad to see Juve dominate a game, even if it is only against a weakened Sassuolo. Sevilla will be a tougher game to crack. Hopefully Higuain and Dybala start again, their partnership is great already.
So far we’ve had a great start, considering we already beat Fiorentina, Lazio and Sassuolo with Sevilla and Inter still coming up. Both are must win games too, Sevilla because we must qualify as group leaders and Inter because they need a good beating once more
To be honest, I both loved and disliked this game. I loved it because for about half an hour we played an incredible game. It was seriously one of the best displays I’ve ever seen in a football team. However, the rest of the game was…. annoying, for lack of a better word. Still, if you just look at the result, 3-1 against Sassuolo is solid and I should be grateful.
Pjanic was impressive (more than I expected), I love how freely Dybala is playing (I hope he enjoys it as well.. too many people have been asking him about not having scored yet and I really hope he doesn’t become obsessed with it), Higuaín is a killer who is making me eat my words (which I love in cases like these!), and Khedira is slowly becoming my favorite. Seriously, Khedira.. I am asking all of the Gods available to keep him fit throughout the season.. and just think what happens once we add Marchisio to that equation, get ready. Khedira+Marchisio+Pjanic… yum.
Stephan Lichtsteiner to me will never to be up to the juventus standard….just find him technically inept and he is a conte kind of player all grit ( which is a great factor)… he has the first touch of a child molester his crosses are ok….i for one am glad he is not in champions league
I like him. I agree, he gives no style to the team, but he locks down his flank, our opponents have to work really hard to create chances on his side when he plays.
I worry his occasional contribution could be missing more than say Hernanes’.
You seem to have missed the last five seasons of glory, which began with comrade Stephan opening the scoring against Parma. The Swiss Locomotive has been an exceptionally vital and prominent part of our return to domestic dominance and a european force.he has epitomized the spirit, the belief and I am hard pressed to find clearly superior players in his role. As are the club.
It is a risk to have chosen Hernanes over Lichsteiner for the champions league group stage squad. Had we procured Witsel or Matuidi, Stephan would have been included, but with Claudio still dead, Asamoah still feeling his way back to match sharpness after a very long time without regular football, Pjanic a newcomer to the squad, Khedira always close to horrid injury niggles, Lemina and Sturaro both young, it made more sense to add in the experience and maturity of Hernanes.
Allegri has decided that Alves and Cuadrado will be enough. And I hope he is right. Yet if Alves is injured – and he is not at all as solid defensively as Lichsteiner – we have no RB and will have to use Cuadrado…who cannot defend, or we move to a back four in which still, there is no recognized RB.
In terms of the juve standard. Lichsteiner is not reaching out for it, he is one of the veterans who have set it.
I find it disgraceful to talk of a player – who has given his heart and soul to the cause since his arrival – in such a foul and undignified manner…Your words are not the words of a juventino.
Are you insane?
The man is a beast. I don’t know you’re watching bud.
..You seem to have no idea what Lichtsteiner brings to the team.