Well, it wouldn’t be a Derby d’Italia without some controversy, and this exactly what we got when Juventus were handed a late penalty kick following a VAR intervention. Paulo Dybala scored the equalizer for the Old Lady who were trailing for the majority of the match, as Inter had taken the lead through Edin Dzeko. At the end of the day, it wasn’t exactly a contest for the purists, but more of a rigid tactical battle between two pragmatic tacticians. So here are our player ratings for the major Serie A Round 9 clash between Inter and Juventus.
Inter XI
Samir Handanovic – 6
The Slovenian goalkeeper did well early on to deny Morata and Danilo with a double save, but he could have caused major problems at the back for his team with his shaky passing.
Milan Skriniar – 6.5
The former Sampdoria defender had the better of the Bianconeri strikers, especially Kulusevski. Never really troubled throughout the match.
Stefan de Vrij – 7
The Dutchman used all of his experience to marshal the Nerazzurri backline. Completely nullified Morata’s threat inside the penalty box.
Alessandro Bastoni – 6.5
The Euro 2020 winner looked solid at the back but lost the ball with some of his unnecessary runs forward.
Matteo Darmian – 6.5
The former Manchester United fullback put on a decent shift on the flanks and was always present at the back to support the defensive trio. But his crosses to the box weren’t too accurate.
Nicolò Barella – 7.5
The Italian was arguably the best player on the pitch. Lit up the midfield with his dynamism, provided delicious crosses to the box and fought hard for every single ball. Simply a menace for Juventus players.
Marcelo Brozovic – 7
The Regista was pressed hard by Kulusevski, but managed to escape either by dropping deep or going wide as he always found a way to receive the ball and launch it forward. His defensive contributions were also noticeable.
Hakan Calhanoglu – 6.5
The former Milan man wasn’t 100% fit and only lasted for an hour, but his shot from the outside hit the post allowing Dzeko to score the hosts’ only goal of the match.
Ivan Perisic – 6.5
The Croatian won his personal battle against Cuadrado with ease and made numerous clearances with his head to prevent the Colombian from receiving the ball. However, he could have killed the match by doubling Inter’s lead but his shot went wide.
Lautaro Martinez – 5
The Argentine wasn’t given a sniff inside the penalty box by Bonucci and Chiellini. Tried to help in the buildup by his contribution was minimal.
Edin Dzeko – 7
The big Bosnian maintained his composure to score perhaps a lucky goal as he bounced on the loose ball. Nevertheless, he did well to hold up the ball and give his teammates a breather throughout the match. An integral piece for Simone Inzaghi’s tactical lineup.
Inter Substitutes
Roberto Gagliardini – 6
Entered the match to add some steel in the middle of the park and he did just that.
Alexis Sanchez – 6
An energetic display from the Chilean who was more involved than Lautaro.
Denzel Dumfries – 5
Gave away the penalty kick by catching Sandro’s foot just inside the box.
Matias Vecino -N/A
5 – Edin #Dzeko has scored 5 goals in his first 4 home seasonal apperances in Serie A this season: in the 3 points per win era only Mauro Icardi in 2017/18 and Marco Branca in 1995/96 have netted more with Inter after 4 games played at home (6 goals). Boom.#InterJuventus #SerieA pic.twitter.com/WjAegmBzEi
— OptaPaolo ? (@OptaPaolo) October 24, 2021
Juventus XI
Wojciech Szczesny – 6
The Polish shot-stopper could only watch Dzeko scoring while he was on the ground, and had very little to do afterwards.
Danilo – 6.5
The Brazilian was rarely involved in the attacking phase, but kept his composure at the back and made some decent interventions. Inter had a dangerous counter attack on the final minute of the match but he expertly stopped Dzeko’s run
Leonardo Bonucci – 6.5
The veteran defender had the better of Lautaro and looked comfortable at the back, but couldn’t provide the attackers with quality long balls.
Giorgio Chiellini – 7
The captain was once again a titan at the back. He was unlucky to play Dzeko onside for the goal, but he made countless clearances throughout the night to keep his side in the match.
Alex Sandro – 6.5
A mixed evening for the left-back. Had some highs and lows in his personal battle against Barella. Wasted some balls when surging forward, but in the end, won the spot kick that salvaged a point for Juventus.
Juan Cuadrado – 5
For the second Serie A match in a row, the Colombian appears to be far from his best form. Lost his battle against Perisic and almost gave away a goal when he allowed the Croatian to steal the ball from him and launch a dangerous counter attack.
Weston McKennie – 6
An improved performance from the American who fought hard for the Bianconeri cause even if he lacked the quality touch at times. Put his basketball skills to good use by launching dangerous long throw-ins towards the Inter box.
Manuel Locatelli – 5.5
This was far from being the best display of the former Sassuolo man. Looked second best against the Nerazzurri midfielders and his touch was less sharp than usual.
Federico Bernardeschi – N/A
Had to leave the pitch early due to a shoulder injury, and Juventus conceded a goal while he was receiving treatment.
Dejan Kulusevski – 4.5
A non-existent display from the Swede. Contributed with some pressing early on, but didn’t add anything to the attack. It’s going to be hard for him to earn another starting spot anytime soon following the return of Dybala and Kaio Jorge.
Alvaro Morata – 4.5
Another Juventus striker who found himself hapless whenever he went against the Inter defenders. A night to forget for the Spaniard.
Juventus Substitutes
Rodrigo Bentancur – 6
The Uruguay international had a torrid time in the first half when he was deployed on the left wing, but his performance improved after the break following his move to his more natural spot in the middle of the pitch.
Paulo Dybala – 6.5
The Argentine added a much-needed spark to the Old Lady’s attack and marked his return from injury by beating Handanovic from the spot.
Federico Chiesa – 5.5
Ran hard and tracked back to support his teammates at the back but didn’t have enough time to make an impact upfront.
Arthur Melo – N/A
Kaio Jorge N/A
1 – Paulo #Dybala is the first Juventus' player to score in three consecutive matches against Inter in Serie A in the three points per win era (since 1994/95). Fury.#InterJuventus #SerieA pic.twitter.com/eiHUxQPtD6
— OptaPaolo ? (@OptaPaolo) October 24, 2021
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