Massimiliano Allegri explains Cristiano Ronaldo’s benching for Udinese draw
Juventus boss Massimiliano Allegri gave little away when asked to explain Cristiano Ronaldo’s omission from his starting lineup for the eventual 2-2 draw with Udinese.
Juventus Twitter was sent into a frenzy in the build-up to the contest after Fabrizio Romano reported that Ronaldo, whose future at Juve has been in considerable doubt this summer, specifically requested to be named on the bench as he’s hopeful of finding a solution over his future in the coming days.
However, the club remain confident of retaining the player and are yet to receive a formal offer for his services. Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid have previously been linked with a move.
Vice-president Pavel Nedved assured Bianconeri supporters that Ronaldo would be staying in Turin ahead of the Udinese clash: “We’ve decided together with Ronaldo. It’s normal. Ronaldo will 100% stay.”
Nedved then attributed Ronaldo’s lack of fitness for his benching in Udine.
“Do not look for sensational things when there aren’t any. It was a joint decision with the coach because we’re at the start of the season and it is normal that he’s not fully fit,” he added.
Despite Nedved’s confidence, Ronaldo’s situation at Juventus is certainly an ambiguous one as we head into the final week of the transfer window
Allegri’s hint
After Juventus inexplicably surrendered a 2-0 advantage to a poor Udinese outfit, Massimiliano Allegri was forced to comment on Ronaldo’s omission from his starting XI. The Portuguese forward entered proceedings on the hour mark and thought he’d snatched a dramatic late winner, but his emphatic header was ruled out for offside following intervention from VAR.
On Ronaldo, Allegri hinted that his omission was a tactical decision: “Ronaldo is feeling well. I had talked to him before the game, telling him he would start on the bench,” the Juve boss told DAZN (via Football Italia) after the game.
“He made himself available, he did well when he entered the pitch, he also scored a goal, but it was disallowed.”
A lesson must be learnt
Sunday’s result was a deflating one considering just how much control the Bianconeri exuded throughout the contest. In a traditional 4-4-2, Juve were vertical in attack, robust defensively and efficient in transition.
Overall, it was an encouraging display; one undone by a pair of Wojciech Szczesny mishaps. Allegri, meanwhile, was quick to support his number one and said that Sunday’s draw must serve as a “lesson”.
“Szczesny is a great goalkeeper, he didn’t make a technical mistake. But we should have understood the moment and don’t be ashamed of throwing the ball in the stands,” the Juve boss said.
“We played a good game. Unfortunately, that’s what football is about. We should have done better in the second half, we were unable to manage unexpected events. This must serve us as a lesson,” Allegri added.