Cristiano Ronaldo (117 Viewers)

[Nenz]

I didn't see his game for Portugal but the fact that he scores 4 goals after one or two dismal games for us and then returns and plays pretty damn poorly raises a bit of a conundrum. Is it him or is it the team? Something about this system just isn't clicking with him maybe.

Capello said he hasn't dribbled past anyone for years and he was right about that. If he doesn't have the ability to penetrate through the wings like the Ronaldo of old, then it looks like his best position really is as a classic CF. Mind you, a 4-3-3 would be most conducive to his playing that position well whereas Dybala is thriving in the front two. So, a bit of a pickle there.

 

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[sgjuveboy]

I didn't see his game for Portugal but the fact that he scores 4 goals after one or two dismal games for us and then returns and plays pretty damn poorly raises a bit of a conundrum. Is it him or is it the team? Something about this system just isn't clicking with him maybe.

Capello said he hasn't dribbled past anyone for years and he was right about that. If he doesn't have the ability to penetrate through the wings like the Ronaldo of old, then it looks like his best position really is as a classic CF. Mind you, a 4-3-3 would be most conducive to his playing that position well whereas Dybala is thriving in the front two. So, a bit of a pickle there.

Dude he played against some random semi professional football country

 

[Nenz]

Dude he played against some random semi professional football country

Yeah I didn't even look at it.

 

[Andrea_Pirlo_10]

I didn't see his game for Portugal but the fact that he scores 4 goals after one or two dismal games for us and then returns and plays pretty damn poorly raises a bit of a conundrum. Is it him or is it the team? Something about this system just isn't clicking with him maybe.

Capello said he hasn't dribbled past anyone for years and he was right about that. If he doesn't have the ability to penetrate through the wings like the Ronaldo of old, then it looks like his best position really is as a classic CF. Mind you, a 4-3-3 would be most conducive to his playing that position well whereas Dybala is thriving in the front two. So, a bit of a pickle there.

Problem he wont get a ball as a striker as our players cant play through balls like in portugal, madrid

 

[DAiDEViL]

Yeah I didn't even look at it.

He scored, but he didn't really look fit at all. Not much of a difference.

Just rest him. Put him on the bench and let him recover from whatever little problem he has. We are well covered with In-form Higgy and Dybala anyway.

 

[Nenz]

Problem he wont get a ball as a striker as our players cant play through balls like in portugal, madrid

A lot of the goals he scored for us as CF last season were from crosses, not through balls. He knows how to lose his marker, he can still jump awfully high and he has a powerful header.

He doesn't have the agility that used to leave his man for dead anymore though. I don't see his use out wide anymore.

 

[Mr Chocolate]

I don't think we get the ball into the box quick enough for him,
he obviously isnt 100% but the tactics arnt helping, especially since he isnt 100%, would like to see more crosses aimed at him though, he is one of the best headerers in the world, seems like a waste

 

[s4tch]

I don't think we get the ball into the box quick enough for him,
he obviously isnt 100% but the tactics arnt helping, especially since he isnt 100%, would like to see more crosses aimed at him though, he is one of the best headerers in the world, seems like a waste

with costa's injury and the consequent switch to diamond, we basically gave up on the flanks though. without cuadrado and sandro, the crosses won't come from the fullbacks either. against atleti, it was de sciglio, pjanic (ffs ) and dybala who tried the most crosses, with 3 attempts each. complete change of plan compared to either his real madrid years or even last season. cr would not only need some rest, but also some feeding to restart scoring on a regular basis. now that dybala is our top scorer, and higuain is having a good run of form too, and neither of them requires high crosses to score, it's the best time to bench the goat.

 

[Juve_fanatic]

Zidane's tactics was more focused on keeping CR7 at CF.
Sarri doesnt know how to utilize him like Zidane did!

He knows exactly how to utilize him, but he is not ready to make the sacrifices needed for that. If Ronaldo plays as CF then both Higuain and Dybala will have to be benched and that is unacceptable by any standards so Sarri is doing the best he can to keep all our attackers happy. Best case scenario is ppay a 4-2-3-1 with Pjanic and Ramsey as CMs and Costa-Dybala-Berna behind Ronaldo but since Costa is injured all the time the only other solution is a 4-3-3 with Berna-CR7-Cuadrado as the attacking trident. I see no other way with our current rooseter how we could possilby play Ronaldo as a lone CF

 

[james95]

He knows exactly how to utilize him, but he is not ready to make the sacrifices needed for that. If Ronaldo plays as CF then both Higuain and Dybala will have to be benched and that is unacceptable by any standards so Sarri is doing the best he can to keep all our attackers happy. Best case scenario is ppay a 4-2-3-1 with Pjanic and Ramsey as CMs and Costa-Dybala-Berna behind Ronaldo but since Costa is injured all the time the only other solution is a 4-3-3 with Berna-CR7-Cuadrado as the attacking trident. I see no other way with our current rooseter how we could possilby play Ronaldo as a lone CF

Zidane didn’t play Ronaldo as a lone CF but in tandem with another striker (Benzema). Ronaldo is incapable of playing lone striker. He needs a reference point in attack to play off so only one of Higuain or Dybala would be benched (he usually prefers selecting Higuain as he’s a better reference point for Ronaldo in terms of hold up play).

Anyway, Madrid’s version of the 4-3-1-2 worked so well because they had Marcelo on the left providing all the width and combining with Isco who had a free role as a trequartista behind the two strikers. Think that’s what Sarri is aiming towards but failing as he doesn’t have the required personnel.

 

[HelterSkelter]

Zidane didn’t play Ronaldo as a lone CF but in tandem with another striker (Benzema). Ronaldo is incapable of playing lone striker. He needs a reference point in attack to play off so only one of Higuain or Dybala would be benched (he usually prefers selecting Higuain as he’s a better reference point for Ronaldo in terms of hold up play).

Anyway, Madrid’s version of the 4-3-1-2 worked so well because they had Marcelo on the left providing all the width and combining with Isco who had a free role as a trequartista behind the two strikers. Think that’s what Sarri is aiming towards but failing as he doesn’t have the required personnel.

This, so this.

Last season, when he looked so good, he was playing with Mandzu upfront who is a perfect foil for Ronaldo. Higuain and Dybala simply don’t operate that way.



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[DAiDEViL]

Anyway, Madrid’s version of the 4-3-1-2 worked so well because they had Marcelo on the left providing all the width and combining with Isco who had a free role as a trequartista behind the two strikers. Think that’s what Sarri is aiming towards but failing as he doesn’t have the required personnel.

Agreed. Cuadrado and Alex Sandro are pretty good fullbacks though, that ain't the problem for me. Problem is, Real Madrid actually had a midfield worth playing in a 4312. It was (and still is) miles ahead of what we are fielding.

Maybe don't play with 4 mids if your mids are your biggest weakness.

 

[InterMerda]

It's time to sell...

 

[pavluska]

He lost a step, but players who aren't 100% fit typically don't perform at...100%.

Same with Pjanic, Matuidi, Ramsey.

 

[KB824]

There should be absolutely no reason to play him against Sassuolo if he isn't healthy. Rest him this week, play him against Lazio if he is better, rest him against Bayer and Udinese.

The key to his last season at Real was that Zidane was giving him the proper rest when needed. We have to do the same. With Dybala and Higuain here, there is no reason not to.

 

[Arcticdaly]

He knows exactly how to utilize him, but he is not ready to make the sacrifices needed for that. If Ronaldo plays as CF then both Higuain and Dybala will have to be benched and that is unacceptable by any standards so Sarri is doing the best he can to keep all our attackers happy. Best case scenario is ppay a 4-2-3-1 with Pjanic and Ramsey as CMs and Costa-Dybala-Berna behind Ronaldo but since Costa is injured all the time the only other solution is a 4-3-3 with Berna-CR7-Cuadrado as the attacking trident. I see no other way with our current rooseter how we could possilby play Ronaldo as a lone CF

Allegri knew how to use him Sarri dont thats why Ronaldo under Sarri is spent most the time hugging the touch line and no where near the box and heats maps back that up.

One of best headers in football and we dont even aim any crosses at hes head even most the corners are short.

 

[dolph]

He would never want that, his ego and mentality wouldn't allow it. He wants to play every game, even if it's not good for him.

If he is really declining this bad, we are going to have a problem. Not only with he’s 60m wage, but there is going to be drama if he starts being benched against he’s will on a consistent basis.

 

[Strickland]

Agreed. Cuadrado and Alex Sandro are pretty good fullbacks though, that ain't the problem for me. Problem is, Real Madrid actually had a midfield worth playing in a 4312. It was (and still is) miles ahead of what we are fielding.

Maybe don't play with 4 mids if your mids are your biggest weakness.

What would you play in Sarris shoes?

 

[italiacalcio10]

A few thoughts:
1) If he isn't 100%, he needs to rest. We're in a good league position and we've qualifier for Champs League. Portugal has qualified for Euro. If he needs to take 2-3 weeks off to recoup, he should, because a healthy Ronaldo is a monster in knock outs.

2) He needs to accept that he isn't the player he was 3-4 years ago. He's a great player, but he isn't immune from substitution like he was in the past. Given the depth Juventus has, and the need to occasionally switch tactics, he can't scowl or leave the arena every time he is substituted. What would be worse is if we started making decisions in order to keep him appeased rather in the best interest of the team (something we've been doing since his arrival with respect to free kicks). Eventually there will be a point that he isn't good enough for a team ( I don't know when), but coming to terms with that is important.

3) I think our playing style doesn't play to his strengths.

• Unlike Messi who excelled in possession based systems, Ronaldo has typically played with more pragmatic coaches or that utilized quick counter attacks/ favoured direct attacking.
• Ronaldo has scored a lot on through direct attacks/ quick build ups. With Allegri or Sarri our build ups are slower; however,
• Allegri defended deeper and focused on less on possession so I think CR7 found a more opportunities.
• Generally speaking though in Serie A there 2 things that are very common: 1) build ups are often slow 2) teams defend narrow & deep (particularly against us), leaving much less opportunity to run into dangerous space, which Ronaldo has thrived on in recent years.
• At Real Madrid in particular so many of his goals were scored while his team was attacking directly/ in counter attack. Those opportunities simply don't exist to the same extent in Serie A.
• In the past, he was more agile on the ball and could dribble past players with more ease. As that ability has declined due to his age he became more of a striker who attacks space (because despite less agility, his sprinting is still exceptionally fast). Unfortunately due to the style of defending in Serie A, there is much less space to run into.

 

[Hust]

A few thoughts:
1) If he isn't 100%, he needs to rest. We're in a good league position and we've qualifier for Champs League. Portugal has qualified for Euro. If he needs to take 2-3 weeks off to recoup, he should, because a healthy Ronaldo is a monster in knock outs.

2) He needs to accept that he isn't the player he was 3-4 years ago. He's a great player, but he isn't immune from substitution like he was in the past. Given the depth Juventus has, and the need to occasionally switch tactics, he can't scowl or leave the arena every time he is substituted. What would be worse is if we started making decisions in order to keep him appeased rather in the best interest of the team (something we've been doing since his arrival with respect to free kicks). Eventually there will be a point that he isn't good enough for a team ( I don't know when), but coming to terms with that is important.

3) I think our playing style doesn't play to his strengths.

• Unlike Messi who excelled in possession based systems, Ronaldo has typically played with more pragmatic coaches or that utilized quick counter attacks/ favoured direct attacking.
• Ronaldo has scored a lot on through direct attacks/ quick build ups. With Allegri or Sarri our build ups are slower; however,
• Allegri defended deeper and focused on less on possession so I think CR7 found a more opportunities.
• Generally speaking though in Serie A there 2 things that are very common: 1) build ups are often slow 2) teams defend narrow & deep (particularly against us), leaving much less opportunity to run into dangerous space, which Ronaldo has thrived on in recent years.
• At Real Madrid in particular so many of his goals were scored while his team was attacking directly/ in counter attack. Those opportunities simply don't exist to the same extent in Serie A.
• In the past, he was more agile on the ball and could dribble past players with more ease. As that ability has declined due to his age he became more of a striker who attacks space (because despite less agility, his sprinting is still exceptionally fast). Unfortunately due to the style of defending in Serie A, there is much less space to run into.

i like the analysis but my feedback would be that when we play with costa, Dybala or even Higuain they too are often double marked so that would leave Ronaldo with more space. Our midfielders are so damn slow moving the ball around ESPECIALLY Matuidi which unfortunately shares the same side as Ronaldo. Having a bumbling CM behind you is always going to hurt Cristiano because he is 8 steps ahead of Matuidi. We really need a better LCM.

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You can see his frustration too when the midfield is too slow moving the ball. He makes those runs but they don’t see it.