3 reasons why Cristiano Ronaldo may not finish as the top scorer of the UEFA Champions League this season
It has become a very difficult task to separate Cristiano Ronaldo and the UEFA Champions League from each other, with the new Juventus signing becoming arguably the greatest superstar in the history of the competition, thanks to his incredible exploits in Europe during this decade.
The Portuguese has been the top performer in the European tournament for the past few years, finishing as the top scorer of the competition in each of the last 6 editions, as well as leading Real Madrid to claim the coveted trophy a whopping 4 times in the past 5 years.
Such is the impact of the attacker that Italian champions Juventus ignored his age and splashed an enormous £88 million to acquire him from Real Madrid as they aim to conquer Europe once again.
However, considering recent developments, it finally looks like Ronaldo's European dominance will be over this season and below are 3 reasons that suggest so:
#3. Juventus are a defensive team that lack adequate creativity
Cristiano Ronaldo sent shockwaves across the globe when he unexpectedly decided to put an end to his Real Madrid career this summer, leaving the European champions in order to complete a famous move to join Italian outfit, Juventus.
While his decision to swap Los Blancos for the Serie A side has been justified by many, it should not be forgotten that it could later backfire and end up being a limitation to his ambitions. Unlike Real Madrid, the Old Lady adopts a defensive approach to the game which could limit Ronaldo's influence in front of goal, especially in his favorite competition - the UEFA Champions League.
Moreover, the lack of adequate creativity in the Juventus team is another issue Ronaldo will face this season, with the likes Blaise Matuidi, Sami Khedira and Miralem Pjanic nowhere near the trio of Luka Modric, Toni Kroos and Casemiro when it comes to controlling play from the middle of the pitch and creating chances for attackers to score.
Just as we have seen so far this season, the Portuguese has been forced to drop deep to collect the ball more often, contributing to team play before launching attacks - something he rarely did during his time at Real Madrid. As a matter of fact, his 4 goals and 5 assists for the Bianconeri this term is a proof that he is becoming more of a creator than a finisher at his new club.