Serie A 2018-19: Did Cristiano Ronaldo make a mistake by moving to Juventus?
Cristiano Ronaldo has been in red hot form ever since his arrival in Juventus. He has already scored 11 goals and assisted 5 in 17 games in the Serie A. He has also scored a goal in the UEFA Champions League.
But despite being Juventus's and arguably Serie A's best player, the Portuguese is only the second highest scorer in Serie A, and is four goals behind Europe's top scorer (in league football) Lionel Messi. He is also five goals behind his eternal rival in the UCL.
Juventus and all the other teams in the Serie A have a much more defensive approach towards the game than most of the other leagues. Most teams in Italy would prefer to sit back and defend if they get an early lead, instead of finishing off the opponent.
Ronaldo's stats have been affected by the relative lack of hunger for goals in his team. He also has a different role in this team compared to his role in Real Madrid; he has been creating more chances for the rest of his teammates this season.
Ronaldo has adapted to the system of his new team perfectly, but it would be fair to say that Juventus have not been able to adapt to Ronaldo's system. By this I mean to say that Juventus have so far failed to get the best out of him.
In Real Madrid, Ronaldo had teammates like Karim Benzema and Isco whose main role was to provide assistance to him. The players and especially the forwards in Juventus are less dependent on Ronaldo compared to his previous team's players. This can be seen by the fact that both Mandzukic and Dybala are also playing really well on an individual level, whereas Real Madrid's attack has failed horribly in Ronaldo's absence.
The way I see it, if Ronaldo wanted to change his club, he should have gone to a team which plays a much more attacking game. But due to lack of choices, Juventus was his best option. That said, even if he scores 10 goals fewer than he would've scored at any other club, he would be guaranteed silverware - so it is an interesting trade-off.
I believe that Ronaldo's move to Juventus can change his status in the GOAT debate both positively and negatively. It can have a negative effect on his status if he scores fewer goals. But it could also have a positive effect if he shows his versatility to be able to play in any country, while also winning more trophies with his new club.