Juventus went 1-0 down but fought to win 6-2 away at Udinese despite losing a man to a red card. A match played with heart and determination, the travelling fans were treated to a glimpse of the old Juve we recognise from last season.
Shambolic defending allowed Udinese to score a quick goal and the Bianconeri's fragility at the back was consistently exposed. However, Juve refused to accept a defeat after losing Mario Mandzukic to a red card and exposed Udinese's awful defending to score six goals.
All in all, Juve showed that despite the numerical inferiority, they are still a team to be reckoned with.
Positives
Tonight we saw the famous Juventus fighting spirit. Having gone a man down, Juventus regrouped and fought for the victory, showing mental strength and the desire that has been missing from their recent Serie A performances.
Negatives
Juventus' defending has to improve. There was simply so much space to exploit and time for Udinese to create problems. Against the better teams, this lack of concentration at the back will cause grave problems.
Manager rating out of 10
7 -- Down to 10 men yet still managing to score six goals, Massimiliano Allegri will be happy with his side's determination and unity to overcome a difficult moment. Neither Dybala nor Higuain scored but they worked hard for the side while Sami Khedira looks to be back to his best.
Player ratings (1-10; 10=best; players introduced after 70 minutes get no rating)
GK Gianluigi Buffon, 7 -- Produced three magnificent saves to rescue Juventus and keep them in the game. Always alert and concentrating.
DF Stephan Lichtsteiner, 5 -- Buffon was forced to make saves from Udinese players who were exploiting the space on his side of the pitch. Not good enough today.
DF Daniele Rugani, 6 -- Mistakes at the back that helped lead to Udinese's first goal but better going forward, grabbing a goal and an assist.
DF Giorgio Chiellini, 5 -- Too long to stop Stipe Perica for the first goal and lost Seko Fofana for the second but was the Udinese player offside? Performed much better thereafter.
DF Alex Sandro, 6 -- Must be more alert in the defensive phase of the game. However, he was stubborn on the ball and provided some key passes. More is still expected of the player.
MF Miralem Pjanic, 7 -- How many accurate long balls, how many accurate crosses? Provided the inspiration, hard work and decisive actions. Rounded off his excellent performance with a wonderful goal.
MF Sami Khedira, 9 -- Brilliant, simply brilliant. The midfielder not only scored the first hat-trick of his career but proved valuable in plugging gaps at the back too. Intelligent, efficient and complete, Khedira played one of his best games ever in a Bianconeri shirt.
MF Juan Cuadrado, 6 -- Didn't do enough at the back to help Lichtsteiner in defence, wandering into midfield while Buffon was making saves. However, going forward he proved most useful, delivering the crosses and accelerating perfectly to make it a difficult night for Udinese. Grabbed an assist, too.
MF Paulo Dybala, 6 -- Better, his corner kicks resulted in goals, his play inspired the forward line while his movement was on point. Still not as decisive as usual but worked hard for the team.
MF Mario Mandzukic, 5 -- A little bizarre how a player with his experience would allow himself to be sent off like that. Up until then, he was a threat to the opponent going forward.
FW Gonzalo Higuain, 6 -- Hit the post, grabbed an assist and worked hard for the sake of the team, sacrificing himself to create for the others. Hard worker.
Substitutes
MF Douglas Costa, 6 -- Accelerated well, used his speed to make a difference going forward but nothing special.
DF Andrea Barzagli, NR -- Came on to provide security at the back in the final stages of the game.
MF Federico Bernardeschi, NR -- Barely on long enough to make an impact.