Patrice Evra pin-pointed Arthur Melo as the key to Juventus problems and their Champions League exit to Villarreal. ‘There’s no quality there.’
The Bianconeri had drawn the first leg 1-1 in Spain and had several chances in Turin, including Dusan Vlahovic off the crossbar.
However, they crumbled in the final 15 minutes to two avoidable penalties and a Pau Torres tap-in from a corner.
Champions League | Juventus 0-3 Villarreal (1-4 agg): Old Lady sunk by Yellow Submarine
“I am really disappointed by what Juve showed this evening,” said Evra on Amazon Prime Italia, where he is working as a pundit.
“It feels like Max Allegri is performing miracles with what he’s got, because there is no quality there, especially in midfield.
“In my day, we had Claudio Marchisio, Arturo Vidal, Andrea Pirlo. Now there’s Arthur… I don’t think he made a single pass that really changed play today. He doesn’t make the difference.”
Fabio Capello had also criticised Arthur before the match on Sky Sport Italia, noting the former Barcelona midfielder “looks like he’s playing rugby.”
This was a reference to the fact you cannot pass forwards in rugby, only sideways or backwards.