Benevento held a wasteful Juventus side to a 1-1 draw in the Serie A as Cristiano Ronaldo-less Juventus failed to close the gap to the top.
Juventus dropped points yet again versus a newly promoted side and are truly creating a bad habit of it. Andrea Pirlo’s men will have a lot of questions to answer as their over reliance on Cristiano Ronaldo is becoming more apparent with each passing game. Filippo Inzaghi’s men showed a lot more desire and heart than Pirlo’s Juventus and that reflected on the result.
Benevento started the game very well, but it was Juventus that took the lead as Federico Chiesa and Alvaro Morata combined beautifully. Benevento seemed to be demotivated, but a late surge of pressure forced the equaliser. It was Gaetano Letizia who found the far corner with a volley from a set-piece situation. Wojciech Szczesny was rooted to his spot as the ball made its way past a host of bodies.
The three times Juventus have been without Cristiano Ronaldo in Serie A this season:
❌ failed to beat Benevento
❌ failed to beat Hellas Verona
❌ failed to beat Crotone pic.twitter.com/n42he3fwEX— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) November 28, 2020
Pirlo’s Juventus will certainly have some big questions to address with his team selection and tactics under increasing scrutiny now. Juventus look far from a team that could compete for the title at the moment. The Hard Tackle now runs the rule over the visiting players.
Wojciech Szczesny: 6/10
Szczesny made a couple of fantastic saves versus Benevento with the best of the lot coming towards the end of the first half. However, Szczesny’s efforts were in vain as Juventus conceded from the resulting corner. Showed some skills later in the second half with the ball at his feet too.
Gianluca Frabotta: 6/10
Frabotta was handed a rare start by Andrea Pirlo and the full-back did justice to that. Frabotta combined well on the left and played some nice passes. He looked solid in defence and a great option for Juventus going forward.
Danilo: 6/10
Danilo looked much more comfortable in his unusual centre-back role this time around. He is proving to be a key figure for Juventus this season by showing that he can play in a number of positions and relied upon.
Mathhijs de Ligt: 5/10
Not the best of days for de Ligt, who seemed to over-commit on several occasions and get beaten past easily. It was not the usual dominant performance expected from someone like de Ligt and that caused Juventus problems.
Juan Cuadrado: 4/10
One of Juventus’s star performers of the season, Cuadrado had a night to forget. It seemed that Cuadrado played in a different role against Benevento, slotting into midfield on several occasions. Cuadrado offered next to nothing going forward and did not even seem to have the license to do so. It was a role that did not suit him, as he looked absolutely wasteful. Lost the ball 15 times too.
Aaron Ramsey: 5/10
Ramsey’s selection over the in-form Bernardeschi or any other player raised a lot of eyebrows. Ramsey was played out of position in a left-mid role, which he failed to maintain as the Welshman drifted centrally as he usually does. His movement offered Frabotta space but otherwise, his impact was minimal. Had a good goal scoring opportunity in the first half but the shot was tame.
Adrien Rabiot: 6/10
Despite being the pick of Juventus’s three-man midfield, Rabiot’s performance deserves little applauds. Rabiot made 2 tackles and progressed the ball with aplomb, however it is difficult to pinpoint moments of brilliance where Rabiot looked threatening or close to making an impact.
Arthur: 5/10
After heavy criticism from Pirlo after his performance versus Ferencvaros, many would have expected Rodrigo Bentancur to start ahead of him. However, Pirlo persisted with the Brazillian, albeit to no avail. Arthur was once again unconvincing with his passing that lacked imagination and creativity. Also, it was his poor clearance that led to the goal.
Federico Chiesa: 7/10
One of the best players for Juventus, it was unfortunate that he picked up a knock and was substituted. He was the liveliest of the lot and always looked to make an impact. His assist to Morata was absolutely stellar.
Chiesa with a stunning pass. Morata with a very good finish.
This is why I am saying, Chiesa needs to play more from the right and not be used through the centre.
— Arjun Pradeep (@IndianRegista) November 28, 2020
Alvaro Morata: 6/10
A decent performance by the Spaniard, but capped by a red card due to dissent. Morata grabbed the only goal of the match for Juventus, but could have scored another when he headed the ball wide from point blank range.
He combined well with Dybala and Chiesa, but Juventus failed to score goals. Ultimately, Morata let his team down by getting sent off right at the final whistle and will not feature in the key match versus Torino.
Paulo Dybala: 6/10
Paratici on Dybala: “We are calm, as we were on De Ligt when they criticized him last year. We know what a player he is, that he’s a serious guy. This year he will give us a great hand and he will be a decisive player as he always has been.” [sky] #juvelive
— Forza Juventus (@ForzaJuveEN) November 28, 2020
Dybala, once again the captain of the Bianconeri, continued to fail to repay Pirlo’s faith. Despite looking good at the start and combining well with his teammates, Dybala had nothing to show for his efforts. The Argentine dropped deep and took responsibility as the main playmaker, but failed to score a goal. He had two clear chances and he would surely be ruing his missed opportunities.
SUBSTITUTES
Federico Bernardeschi: 6/10
A huge improvement on Aaron Ramsey, Bernardeschi injected raw pace and directness in the Juventus team. He was integral to Juventus’s final push towards the end and always looked to create opportunities for his teammates.
Rodrigo Bentancur: 6/10
Kept the ball moving at a good pace and was crucial and keeping the pressure applied on Benevento.
Dejan Kulusevski: 5/10
Tracked back well, but was largely anonymous going forward. Been somewhat of an enigma this season with his unpredictability.
