Juventus: 5 things we learned from the 2020/21 season

5.  Cristiano Ronaldo’s role has to be altered

Allegri’s return means that Cristiano Ronaldo’s future in the truffle capital certainly isn’t guaranteed. In fact, reports suggest that Allegri’s set to ditch Ronaldo in favour of making Dybala the protagonist of his second reign.

However, for this piece, we’ll presume he remains on Juve’s books following yet another ludicrously productive season in Italy. Ronaldo’s 29 Serie A goals were enough to earn him the Capocannoniere.

Despite his goal-laden campaign, there’s a lingering feeling among some Juventini that Ronaldo in fact inhibited Juve’s fluidity in attack and their claims are somewhat justified. The erroneous belief that he should drop between the lines to combine and shift all over the pitch just to merely get on the ball certainly limited Juve’s attacking efficiency. Why? Well, one, he’s simply not very good at what he desired (dropping deep) and two, his withdrawal from a striker position reduced his side’s penetrativeness and, at times, led to dysfunction and confusion in the deeper zones he occupied.

This was a role Alvaro Morata performed admirably but one that, despite his best efforts, Ronaldo couldn’t replicate and it certainly hindered his side. He’s just not that type of striker.

What remains apparent is that he can still score goals, and plenty of them, due to his predatory instincts inside the box. Thus, patience is key for Ronaldo. The Portuguese international’s a pure poacher now and his late show vs Udinese perfectly depicted this necessary evolution.

Ronaldo’s not the mesmeric entertainer he once was, nor he is capable of producing moments of magic like his long-time rival Lionel Messi. Ditch the aesthetics and focus on efficiency. This transformation will retain his goal record but also facilitate greater harmony in Juventus’ attack.