It seems that Andrea Pirlo’s relationship with Cristiano Ronaldo during the Italian legend’s tenure as Juventus manager was never good. The coach was unconvinced of the Portuguese international’s abilities, in an incredible surprise.
Alpaslan Erdem, Pirlo’s former assistant, revealed previously unknown details on the “InTORnational” podcast of the German newspaper Bild. According to Erdem, Pirlo admitted that he had difficulty integrating Cristiano into his tactical plan.
“Pirlo didn’t want Ronaldo in his team, but he couldn’t do anything about it,” Erdem said.
He added, “We analyzed the data, and it showed that Cristiano was the worst at sprinting and pressing.”
Curiously, Erdem said that Pirlo preferred to rely on Alvaro Morata rather than Ronaldo. He explained, “Pirlo preferred Morata because he fit perfectly into his 4-4-2 formation. The formation simply didn’t work with Ronaldo or Dybala.”
It’s worth noting that Ronaldo, despite his disagreements with Pirlo, scored 36 goals and provided 5 assists in 44 matches across all competitions this season. Pirlo was sacked at the end of the season after one of the worst experiences in Juventus’ history.
