Sunday was the last in Juventus\u2019 three-game stretch against direct competitors at the top of the table, and they acquitted themselves as well as they have in quite some time. In what may have been the most complete performance we\u2019ve seen the team put in since the false dawn of Mottaball against AC Milan this past January, they put a pair of goals past the league\u2019s best defense and hung on after a late mistake to beat Roma 2-1, pulling themselves to within a point of the Giallorossi for fourth place.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
It was a game where everyone contributed, and the ideas of Luciano Spalletti are starting to show themselves in the Bianconeri\u2019s attacking play. They handled Gian Piero Gasperini\u2019s patented man-to-man press better than they\u2019ve handled any press all season, and despite being outshot 14-13 were by far the more dangerous team when they went forward. Had Edon Zhegrova\u2019s mistake and Andrea Cambiaso\u2019s marking not gifted Roma their goal, it\u2019s entirely likely they would\u2019ve kept a clean sheet as well.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
So how did everyone do between the lines? Let\u2019s take a closer look.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
MICHELE DI GREGORIO – 6.5.<\/strong> Tough luck on the rebound for the goal, as he was left out to dry by some awful marking. The rest of his saves were easy, and he marshaled the defense well from the back.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n PIERRE KALULU – 6.5.<\/strong> Racked up two tackles and three clearances while being a constant support in the attack. That included a key pass and he was even credited with a dribble.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n BREMER – 7.5.<\/strong> The big man was the absolute rock he\u2019s always been in the hour that he was on the pitch. The stats are typically excellent: two tackles, five clearances, a pair of blocked shots, and an interception. Equally impressive was that he was able to effectively defend both Paulo Dybala as a false nine and Evan Ferguson as a traditional striker before he was forced off the field. Fortunately, it seems like that looked a lot worse than it was.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n LLOYD KELLY – 6.5.<\/strong> Did well against Mat\u00edas Soul\u00e9 on his side, helping keep him without a shot during his time on the pitch. Didn\u2019t make any mistakes at all.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n WESTON McKENNIE – 7.<\/strong> Shone in every area of the field. Unlucky not to get that driving header past Mile Svilar but had the presence of mind not only to pounce on the rebound but to quickly realize that Lo\u00efs Openda was in a better position to score and poke it to him. Put in some great defensive work as well.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n MANUEL LOCATELLI – 7.<\/strong> Registered a joint-team-high five tackles along with two clearances and a blocked shot. He\u2019s fantastic cover for the defense, and his passing ability was incredibly helpful in the attack. Quite unlucky not to have an assist after Yildiz hit the post on that late counter.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n KH\u00c9PHREN THURAM – 6.<\/strong> Wasn\u2019t as accurate passing as you\u2019d like, but his physical presence and willingness to carry the ball through the midfield were big pluses. He\u2019s been on the schneid for a bit, but looks to be rounding back into form at the right time.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n ANDREA CAMBIASO – 6.<\/strong> One of his better games in recent weeks. His shot in the second half would\u2019ve gone in had it been any other direction than right at Svilar (and even then Svilar barely got hands to it) and his assist to Francisco Concei\u00e7\u00e3o was delicious. He made five tackles as well\u2014but his piss-poor marking of Tommaso Baldanzi to allow the attacking midfielder to score on Ferguson\u2019s rebound can\u2019t be ignored, which is why I can\u2019t go higher than a 6.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n FRANCISCO CONCEI\u00c7\u00c3O – 7.5.<\/strong> His dribbling is usually his strong suit, but in this match the big thing was how he moved off the ball. He was constantly finding spaces in the box for Yildiz and others to find him in, and he made the most of them, hitting the target with all three of his shots, including his excellent goal on the stroke of halftime. Added a pair of tackles in as well for an all-around performance.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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