Juventus Player Ratings vs Aston Villa: Locatelli Thwarts the Villains

On the fifth matchday of the Champions League group stage, Aston Villa and Juventus shared the spoils in Birmingham. Both sides had their chances but neither managed to find the back of the net, even if the Villains thought they won it with the last kick of the match, but the referee disallowed it for a foul on Michele Di Gregorio. So here are our player ratings for Juventus who fell down to midtable following a goalless draw at Villa Park.

Juventus (4-2-3-1)

Michele Di Gregorio – 6.5

The Italian shot-stopper was saved by the ref’s call at the death following an unconvincing exit. While the shove was certainly there, he made the most of it to get the call. He had also produced a couple of solid saves early on.

Nicolò Savona – 6

A defensively sound display from the Juventus youngster who was able to match John McGinn for pace and tenacity, but was almost non-existent on the attacking phase.

Pierre Kalulu – 6.5

The Frenchman started on a brilliant note, frustrating Ollie Watkins in their personal duel. But as the match wore on, he started to lose some ground and gave away freekicks in dangerous positions.

Federico Gatti – 7

A fabulous display at the back from the Italy international who confidently dealt with every ball that came in his direction.

Andrea Cambiaso – 6.5

A good display from the former Genoa man who tried his best to drive the ball forward, even though his attacking participation was less than usual. He also kept Leon Bailey at bay.

Khephren Thuram – 7

The Juventus summer signing prevailed in the majority of his duels against his Aston Villa counterparts. Won the ball back on countless occasions and helped bring it forward.

Manuel Locatelli – 7.5

A superb outing from the Juventus stand-in captain who was a true wall in front of the backline. He dropped deep to support his teammates in defense whenever required and even produced a goal-line clearance. He always seemed to be in the right place at the right time.

Francisco Conceicao – 6.5

The Portuguese looked inspired down the left flank, causing havoc almost every time he received the ball. Tested Emi Martinez in the first half with a low shot, and was a few centimeters away from seeing his header cross the line.

Teun Koopmeiners – 5

Aside from a few decent set-ball deliveries, the former Atalanta man was hardly noticeable on the pitch. The Bianconeri fans are beginning to become deeply concerned by his underwhelming form.

Kenan Yildiz – 6

The Turkish teenager had his moments, including a few nice cuts from the left flank, but they were too few to alter the outcome.

Timothy Weah – 5.5

The USMNT star can be excused as he was playing in unfamiliar territory with Dusan Vlahovic ruled out for injury. Couldn’t make his impact felt inside the box, and didn’t help much in the buildup either.

Substitutes

Danilo – 6

A decent outing from the original Juventus captain, even though he wasn’t an upgrade on Savona when going forward.