Cristiano Ronaldo was once again the Man of the Match despite a poor result for Juventus in a game that saw him pick up yet another injury.
Juventus’ inconsistent start to life under Andrea Pirlo continued as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Lazio on early Sunday afternoon. It is the fourth time they have dropped points this season, though they will be delighted with AC Milan’s draw with Verona on the same day.
As far as the game itself is concerned, it was a tightly contested one, with Lazio surprisingly showing a lot of ambition despite the absence of their star striker Ciro Immobile, combined with their poor form, especially in the UEFA Champions League.
However, it was Juventus who struck early as the in-form Cristiano Ronaldo found the back of the net inside 15 minutes. The Portuguese did appear unlucky to not score the second as one of his attempts on goal hit the post, though it did give Lazio the motivation they needed to come up with a strong second-half performance.
The Rome-based outfit, in fact, played with a lot of grit and determination in the second half and were ultimately rewarded as substitute Felipe Caicedo found the equaliser in the final minutes of the game, effectively sealing a point for the home side.
FT | ⏱ | Full-time at the Olimpico. #LazioJuve #FinoAllaFine #ForzaJuve pic.twitter.com/QsWgI1Mx1Q
— JuventusFC (@juventusfcen) November 8, 2020
Here, at The Hard Tackle, we will run the rule over the Juventus players in their disappointing result against Lazio on Sunday.
Wojciech Szczesny 6/10
Wojciech Szczesny didn’t have the busiest of games despite Lazio’s offensive endeavours throughout the game. He did have to remain sharp though as the opposing attackers were more than willing to pounce on any mistakes. Unfortunately for Juve, the Pole had very little chance of keeping out Caicedo’s late effort.
Juan Cuadrado 8/10
Juan Cuadrado was one of the better performers for Juventus in this fixture, becoming a constant attacking outlet for his side on the right flank. It made life difficult for Lazio, with the Colombian most notably providing the assist for Ronaldo’s opener while he was also quite effective in dealing with the threat of Mohamed Fares.
Merih Demiral 7/10
Merih Demiral was fairly solid at the back, using his unrivalled physical and aerial prowess to keep the Lazio attackers at bay, though the Turkish international got lucky to have missed out on the challenge of facing Immobile.
Leonardo Bonucci 7.5/10
Leonardo Bonucci offered some much-needed support to Demiral, helping Juventus remain solid for the most part. Most importantly, however, it was his leadership that was useful for the Juve backline, especially in the absence of Giorgio Chiellini.
400 – Leonardo #Bonucci plays today his 400th game as a starter with #Juventus, in all competitions. Symbol.#LazioJuve pic.twitter.com/sg3y1bphyZ
— OptaPaolo (@OptaPaolo) November 8, 2020
Danilo 7/10
Danilo continues to impress the onlookers with his commendable versatility and is one of the few players who have seemed to improve under Pirlo. On Sunday, the Brazilian did his defensive duties well while making some useful forays down the flanks.
Dejan Kulusevski 7.5/10
Dejan Kulusevski was hard-working and diligent as always, looking to breach the Lazio defence using his technical quality. His positional intelligence and ability to act in tight spaces also proved to be useful for the Juventus side. It will be interesting to see if the Swede can continue his good form moving forward.
Rodrigo Bentancur 7/10
Rodrigo Bentancur showcased a clinical display in the middle of the park, especially with his passing and ball retention. It was he who distributed the ball out wide to Cuadrado, with the move leading to the opening goal. The Uruguayan international could have done a bit better defensively though.
Adrien Rabiot 7/10
Adrien Rabiot may not have been the best player on the pitch, but the Frenchman certainly showed a lot of passion and work ethic that should definitely impress Pirlo. The ex-PSG man did play a crucial role in ball-recoveries as well.
Adrien Rabiot vs Lazio Roma – Highlights #JuveLazio pic.twitter.com/h9kK0Y0muC
— alex (@alexandreebzn) November 8, 2020
Gianluca Frabotta 6.5/10
Starting ahead of key figures like Federico Bernardeschi and Federico Chiesa, the youngster could have done a better job on the left flank. With Danilo also marching forward, he wasn’t responsible enough to cover the space. It is a part of the learning process though.
Alvaro Morata 7/10
Alvaro Morata played very well, considering the context of the game. His combination play with Ronaldo should be promising for any Juventus fan, while the Spaniard also tried to move forward with the ball and craft chances for himself. May not have made a huge difference, but his work-ethic is certainly commendable.
Cristiano Ronaldo 8.5/10
Continued on his brilliant run of form with yet another impressive display, although he failed to provide the most clinical finish in scoring the opener. Aside from the goal, however, the Portuguese international also played a key role in keeping the Lazio defenders at their toes while his attempts on goal should be a threat for any side in the world.
Andrea Pirlo confirmed Cristiano Ronaldo suffered an ankle injury during Juventus’ draw with Lazio today.
He is due to join Portugal for games against Andorra, France and Croatia during the international break. pic.twitter.com/pjQbHcV0SY
— B/R Football (@brfootball) November 8, 2020
Unfortunately, Ronaldo picked up an ankle injury late in the game and had to be taken off. Pirlo later confirmed on DAZN that he did indeed pick up a knock, though he failed to provide the exact details regarding the severity of the injury. Either way, it could be a massive blow for Juventus.
Substitutes
Paulo Dybala 6/10
Came on for Ronaldo during the final phase of the game but failed to do much as Lazio started to push for a late equaliser.
Weston McKennie 6.5/10
Weston McKennie was given a defensive role right after coming on as Pirlo opted to defend his side’s slender one-goal lead. The USMNT star did well but the hosts eventually found a late equaliser through Caicedo.
Federico Bernardeschi N/A
A late replacement for Morata. Did not play enough to earn a rating.
