“Every team that he left has suffered from his absence” - Danilo opens up on Cristiano Ronaldo’s Juventus departure
Juventus defender Danilo has explained that every team Cristiano Ronaldo has left has struggled following the Portuguese's departure. However, he remains adamant that the Bianconeri will bounce back strongly.
Ronaldo left Juventus in the summer to re-join Manchester United after a good personal spell in Italy.
Although the Portuguese failed to lead the Bianconeri to Champions League glory, he scored plenty of goals and was a key player for the Old Lady.
Juventus have scored the joint-fewest goals (16) among the top 10 teams in the Serie A table this season. Their profligacy in front of goal has been linked to Cristiano Ronaldo’s departure.
The Bianconeri are currently eighth in the table after a slow start to the season, but Danilo believes they will bounce back even without a player of Ronaldo’s calibre in their ranks.
“Any team that he left has suffered from his absence. Years pass and he is still dominant. Numbers don’t lie. Every chance is a goal. There is no story, there are no words. It is extremely competitive. I learned a lot with him," Danilo said.
“I got very close to him at Real and Juventus even more, and we still talk to each other today and wish each other good luck before matches every now and then. He will be missed and felt, but Juventus have the ability and the DNA to get back on their feet, with a lot of work and sacrifice to be able to achieve the victories. And Cristiano knows it too."
Cristiano Ronaldo guarantees goals but Juventus might be better off without him
Cristiano Ronaldo has proved that age is no bar for him as he has adapted his game and continued scoring goals.
However, teams playing Ronaldo lose a certain amount of tactical flexibility, especially if they want to be proactive without the ball.
Ronaldo has started off well at Manchester United, but their style off the ball is different when compared to last season when they finished second.
Juventus will have to go through a transition period following Ronaldo's exit, but with younger players in attack, they will be better off in the longer run.