Juventus News Roundup: Juve chief reveals club stance on Cristiano Ronaldo's future, De Ligt compares Pirlo and Sarri and more: 22 November 2020
Juventus defeated Cagliari 2-0 thanks to a brace by Cristiano Ronaldo. It was a convincing performance by Juventus and a much-needed victory for them. There is a lot going on both on the pitch and away from it as the winter transfer window approaches. Let's take a look at the top stories involving Juventus from 22 November 2020.
Andrea Pirlo says win against Cagliari is important
Andrea Pirlo had urged his team to step up from now until Christmas as it's an important phase and the team responded by producing a convincing performance against Cagliari. After the game, Pirlo said,
“There’s plenty of quality in this squad, but that is not enough. In order to dominate the game, you have to move the ball rapidly from side to side. The players also enjoy that style of football, and when you have possession, pinning the opposition back, you even get to rest on the ball and not run so much.
“We’ve been trying for this pressing game since the start, but didn’t have much time this season to work on it. The key essentially is to win back the ball as quickly as possible so that we keep the pressure constantly on the opposition and maintain possession.”
He also praised Cristiano Ronaldo for his brace but didn't seem surprised at all.
“Ronaldo is a great professional, as we all knew, and he sets the example for everyone around him in both the matches and training. The only advice I can give him is keep going like this!”
De Ligt compares Juventus' style of play under Maurizio Sarri and Andrea Pirlo
Juventus defender Matthijs De Ligt says Juventus' style of play has changed under Andrea Pirlo. He joined the Juventus when Maurizio Sarri was the manager. However, Sarri was sacked despite winning the Serie A in his first season in charge.
Following the win against Cagliari, De Ligt offered his thoughts on the style of football they play under Andrea Pirlo as opposed to Maurizio Sarri.
De Ligt said,
“We have a different mentality. Last year we wanted to press high but with Pirlo we play a more modern football. We defend one against one leaving a lot of space behind us. I like it, I used to do the same at Ajax. We have room for improvement,”
“Soon we’ll reach 100%, now we are at the 70% of our potential. There are many strong teams this season, the league is harder nut also more stimulating. We have many opponents: Milan, Inter, Lazio, Atalanta and Napoli . It’s a tough championship but we are only focused on ourselves, we have a very competitive team to win the title.”
Fabio Paratici says Cristiano Ronaldo won't leave this summer
Despite all the speculation regarding his future, Cristiano Ronaldo will end up staying at Juventus as per Juventus chief Fabio Paratici. Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid have been linked with the Portuguese. However, Paratici says Ronaldo is not going anywhere until his contract expires.
Paratici said on Saturday,
"His future is with us, I can assure you,"