Juventus-Roma was like a chess game where defences dominated, and lack of intensity led to a 0-0 draw.
Central defenders nullified strikers and midfielders didn’t move the ball quickly enough, so a goalless stalemate between Juventus and Roma in Turin was a natural consequence.
Daniele De Rossi initially benched Paulo Dybala, picking Matias Soulé in attack and Niccolò Pisilli in central midfield. Soulé (5) didn’t show all his potential in front of his former fans. Not enough dribbles, no through balls and no shots on target. Seeing Dybala replace him in the second half wasn’t a surprise.
Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic (5.5) was equally disappointing, but at least he had a shot on target, saved by Mile Svilar in the first half.
Central defenders dominated the match, and it’s no coincidence that Juventus and Roma’s centre-backs had the highest ratings: 7 for Federico Gatti, Gianluca Mancini, and Evan N’dicka and 6.5 for Gleison Bremer.
Central midfielders had highs and lows. Both Juventus and Roma moved the ball pretty slowly, and the result reflected the teams’ performances pretty fairly.
Juventus vs Roma – player ratings
JUVENTUS: Di Gregorio 6; Savona 6, Gatti 7, Bremer 6.5, Cabal 6 (46′ Conceiçao 6); Locatelli 6 (67′ Douglas Luiz 6), Fagioli 5.5 (67′ McKennie 6); Cambiaso 5.5, Yildiz 6, Mbangula 5 (46′ Koopmeiners 5.5); Vlahovic 5.5 (82′ Nico Gonzalez). Coach: Thiago Motta 6.
Best Juventus player: Gatti 7. The Juventus captain was a solid presence in central defence. Juventus are the only team in Serie A without a goal conceded so far.
Lowest Juventus rating – Mbangula 5 – One goal and two assists in the opening two matches. Tonight he didn’t show his pace and quality, but highs and lows are what you must expect from a 20-year-old.
Coach: Thiago Motta—6—Juventus didn’t break the deadlock this time. They were slower than against Como and Verona, but they were still pretty solid.
ROMA: Svilar 6.5; Celik 5.5, Mancini 7, Ndicka 6.5, Angeliño 6.5; Pisilli 6 (72′ Manu Koné 6), Cristante 6, Pellegrini 5 (82′ Baldanzi N/A); Soulé 5 (61′ Dybala 6), Dovbyk 5 (82′ Shomurodov N/A), Saelmaekers 5.5 (61′ Zalewski). Coach: De Rossi 6.
Best Roma player – Mancini 7 – The Italy international nullified Vlahovic, conceding just one shot on target. He received a yellow card, but that’s not really surprising. Leader.
Lowest Roma rating – Dovbyk 5 – Tough game for the Ukraine international. He fought hard, but it wasn’t enough. Not entirely his fault, anyway.
Coach: Daniele De Rossi 6 – Subsitutions worked well as Roma finished the game on a high note, trying to score a late goal. They are still winless in the opening three matches, but this was a promising performance.