XtraTime Web Desk: Cristiano Ronaldo for the first time in his illustrious career is under some serious pressure to perform. The five time Ballon d’Or has been heavily criticized for his lack of sharpness in the Coppa Italia final on Wednesday. The club from Turin lost out 2-4 in a penalty shootout after the regulation time ended goalless. Juventus coach Maurizio Sarri has come down heavily on the talisman following the loss to Napoli.
“He’s in the same shape as the others, like Paulo Dybala and Douglas Costa, he is lacking the sharpness to do what works best for him. I didn’t say much to the players after the game. I was angry and disappointed just like them, so at these moments it’s best to stay silent. We’ll talk better tomorrow morning,” said the Juve coach to RAI.
Former Italian and Juventus legend Luca Toni was more aggressive towards the Portugal footballer.
According to Toni, “It’s a defeat that also bears the signature of Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese is in difficulty physically and he can’t even dribble past a man.”
Ronaldo had only one positive attempt at goal in Wednesday’s final and the Portugese looked a pale shadow of his past. This is the first time that Ronaldo suffered two consecutive defeats in club finals in his career. In December 2019, Cristiano Ronaldo and Juventus suffered a painful defeat in the final of the Supercoppa Italiana against Lazio.
Ronaldo has so far featured in 27 finals in club football and has been on the winning side on 19 occasions.
The 35 year old Ronaldo has not found that goal-scoring vein one normally associates with him. Although he scored 25 goals in Serie E this season, he never looked dominating. In fact he missed a penalty during the semifinal clash against AC Milan earlier this week which raised questions to whether the star winger would depart Turin in the summer. Premier League side Chelsea has reportedly submitted a €120 million (£107million) bid for the Serie A champion. Ronaldo’s Portugal teammate Nani has sparked rumours that the Juventus star could end his career in Major League Soccer (MLS).