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Serie A heavyweight Juventus' fight to regain the Scudetto started on a frustrating note. Having played their season opener away from home, Massimiliano Allegri's men blew their first-half lead against Udinese to draw the game 2-2.
It wasn't a conventional starting line-up for the Bianconeri. Fans were surprised to see Allegri deploy a new formation and the fact that Cristiano Ronaldo was left on the bench.
The Portuguese superstar made a cameo in the 60th minute and he almost provided a late winner for his side. Only to find it ruled out by VAR following an offside. The drama doesn't end there. Juve's number 7 played his last match in the black and white jersey and has since moved away from Turin.
After raising interest from both Manchester clubs, football fans witnessed another massive transfer taking place this summer as Cristiano Ronaldo returned to Manchester United!
Meanwhile, Juventus will look to move on and have seemingly fortified their side enough to put up a fight for the title.
As Juventus welcome Empoli to their home this weekend, let's take a moment to reflect on
Juventus' top 5 players from Serie A GW 1
#5 Matthijs de Ligt
The Juventus centre-back, in particular, had no negative role to play in their team's draw against Udinese. The centre-back duo, which includes Matthijs de Ligt, did a fine job.
The young Dutch defender dominated aerial duels and towered himself over the opposition attackers. de Ligt also managed to come up with timely interceptions to stop Udinese from striking venom.
Having been constantly involved in a series of passes with his midfield, the former Ajax man barely placed a foot wrong.
#4 Leonardo Bonucci
If it wasn't for Wojciech Szczesny's double blunders, Juventus would have seen the match through without sweating much. Even though the Turin side's wing-backs looked shaken on quite a few occasions, their defenders made almost no mistake throughout the course of 90 minutes.
As a result of his immense experience, Leonardo Bonucci showed impressive composure. Acting like a true leader in guiding his team's last line of defense, the Italian made two crucial clearances and four interceptions.
Leonardo Bonucci also had the most passes (65) completed in the match. Captain Giorgio Chiellini's absence wasn't felt as Bonucci did a fine job of controlling the tone of the game from the back.
Bonucci also took the responsibility of marching up the pitch to assist his forwards.
#3 Rodrigo Bentancur
Juventus midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur had a fair share of fine performances at the Stadio Friuli.
Exploiting the midfield area with his strength and stamina, the Uruguayan put on quite a show. He also assisted his side's first goal with a dangerous low-cross which was converted by Paulo Dybala for the opener.
Registering six ball recoveries, Rodrigo Bentancur also tested Marco Silvestri twice. He almost got himself on the scoresheet in the latter stages of the game but had to settle with seeing his long ranger hit the woodwork. He milked the opportunity to run into open spaces on numerous occasions where the opposition were busy marking Dybala.
Despite Juventus blowing up a certain victory, Bentancur displayed his prowess and is certain to maintain his spot in the Juventus starting XI.
#2 Juan Cuadrado
Juan Cuadrado found the net with his only shot in the game. Having played for 74 minutes before making way for Federico Chiesa, Juan Cuadrado was massively impactful for Juventus. Especially in the first half.
A crucial element in Juventus' build-up towards the first goal, the Colombian took it upon himself to bag the Bianconeri's second goal of the night.
A fine long pass from Dybala to cut through Udinese's high-line found Cuadrado down the right flank. Taking his time to control the ball, the Juventus number 11 parried away from three Udinese defenders to slot it home.
A sudden bust of pace and quick-feet aided the 33-year-old in shattering Udinese's defense, especially from the right side.
#1 Paulo Dybala
The Argentine donned the role of the team's captain in the absence of Giorgio Chiellini. It didn't take long for Paulo Dybala to go from completing the toss to scoring in the season opener for his side.
The Juventus number 10 scored in the third minute in what was a complete team play that majorly involved Cuadrado, Bentancur and himself. Undoubtedly the best player for Juventus in the game, Dybala dictated the gameplay and pushed for a win until the final whistle.
The man of the match performer created the most chances (3) in the game and was directly involved in both his team's goals. Linking up with the other two (Bentancur and Cuadrado), Dyabala ended up as a constant menace to Udinese.
With Cristiano Ronaldo leaving Juventus, the mantle will once again be on Dybala to lead the Juventus attack.
