Disorganised Juventus start post-Ronaldo era with defeat against Empoli
The last memory Juventus fans have of Cristiano Ronaldo is the sight of him racing to the corner flag to do his famous ‘siuuu’ celebration only for his goal to be chalked off for offside.
The Portuguese forward made it clear he no longer wanted to play for the Bianconeri before the start of the season. But he came on as a second-half substitute in Juventus' 2-2 draw with Udinese on the opening day of the season.
Ronaldo has since completed a move back to Manchester United. But it appears Juventus are yet to move on from last season’s mixed campaign, which culminated in a fourth-place finish.
Even worse, Massimiliano Allegri’s side have now failed to win their first two matches of the season after losing 1-0 at home to Empoli on Saturday.
Juventus suffer defeat to Empoli
There was a time when Juventus were the best in Italy, winning nine successive league titles. However, the current team is far from great. Not only have their rivals caught up with them, some teams like Inter Milan, AC Milan and AS Roma probably have better squads than the Bianconeri.
Allegri’s side were completely clueless in the game against Empoli, and didn’t play like a team that wants to reclaim the Serie A title they lost last season. Despite dominating possession, Juventus rarely troubled their opponents, mustering only four shots on target in 90 minutes. Empoli were the underdogs before the game, but they deserved to win.
Bianconeri no better after Cristiano Ronaldo exit
Contrary to the notion that Cristiano Ronaldo was holding Juventus back, it’s beginning to appear that their squad is simply not good enough. And it was rather the Portuguese who was carrying the team.
Not much has changed following the departure of the five-time Ballon d’Or winner, who at least guaranteed the team goals. The Bianconeri look hapless in defence and toothless in attack.
“Cristiano spent three years at Juventus; he scored goals, which he is very good at, he’s an extraordinary player, but we cannot think about Ronaldo from now on," Allegri said after the game, as quoted by Goal.
"I have a fine squad; we simply must realise that we can’t just dominate every match. We need to come together, and this will help us for the future. I am optimistic always. The lads had started strong; they conceded at the first mistake playing out, then they got too hasty. We must have the patience to take things calmly, play as a team and not try to resolve things as individuals.”
Juventus’ problems clearly run deeper than Cristiano Ronaldo, and that is evidenced by the lack of improvement despite the Portuguese’s departure from the club this summer.