Cristiano Ronaldo’s exit from Juventus left the Turin giants struggling to find consistent goals upfront during the initial half of the season, although they gradually picked up their form as the campaign progressed.
The Portuguese legend’s absence has caused Massimiliano Allegri’s frontline to falter occasionally, as they now register their worst attacking record of the past decade, with just 27 goals scored after 19 matchdays.
Italian legend Fabio Cannavaro has termed the strike sensation as a ‘coach-savior’, given his attacking prowess to rescue his teams out of hapless situations time and again.
This was evident not only during his Juventus days, but also since he made a remarkable return to Manchester United. However, the Red Devils have also suffered from the lack of coherence and consistency, just like the Bianconeri.
Speaking to Il Corriere dello Sport (via Manchester Evening News), Cannavaro revealed that he was ‘not surprised’ by Juventus’ drop in form.
“I was not surprised by their drop; I think it was inevitable. Don’t forget that they lost the coach-saviour, Cristiano Ronaldo. With him, they started every game 1-0 up. Juventus must deal with the decline of a few players and with a few struggling youths.”
Ole Gunnar-Solskjaer, Maurizio Sarri, Massimiliano Allegri and Andrea Pirlo are just few managers of the lot in recent memory, who have benefitted from Ronaldo’s presence in their respective starting lineups.
Juventus sit in 5th position with 34 points in the Serie A standings midway through the season, four points behind Atalanta and twelve behind league leaders Inter.