Champions League Power Rankings: PSG shine in matchweek 1
By James Dudko
27. Juventus
Was this really the same Juve team good enough to make the final last season? It certainly didn’t look like it after the way Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez toyed with the Italian champions at the Camp Nou.
The Bianconeri were soundly beaten 3-0 and it easily could have been worse. Not only did Juve’s traditional defensive solidity desert them, so did the slick attacking play so common last season.
Striker Gonzalo Higuain received little in the way of credible support from forward Paulo Dybala. Winger Douglas Costa also spent too much time on the periphery of the match.
The issues were worse in midfield, where classy playmaker Miralem Pjanic didn’t get on the ball enough. Meanwhile, 20-year-old Uruguayan Rodrigo Bentancur looked out of his depth, despite his prodigious talent.
There’s not much shame in losing at the Camp Nou, nor in being dazzled by the brilliance of Messi. But this Juve team still hammered Barca in last season’s Champions League.
The Italians have gone backwards since.