Football is a simple game most of the time, so it’s always fascinating to see when a manager starts to overthink things to show how clever they are.
That is 100% going to be the case for Andrea Pirlo tonight as Juventus simply need to defeat Bologna tonight to give themselves a chance of Champions League football next year, and he’s left Cristiano Ronaldo on the bench.
Ronaldo is the top scorer in Serie A this season by some margin and he’s absolutely the man for the big occasion, so it was pretty safe to assume that he was carrying a knock because of that decision.
It actually looks like he’s fit and ready to go, but Pirlo has decided to go with a different option in the team instead:
Cristiano Ronaldo is not injuried. He’s not starting today due to “technical decision” made by Andrea Pirlo. Juventus are playing for a Champions League spot in the last match and Cristiano will be on the bench for the fifth time in three season as Juventus player. ?? #Juve
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) May 23, 2021
If they don’t win the game and fail to qualify then this will absolutely come back to bite him, but this is the clearest sign yet that Juve are planning for life without Ronaldo going forward and you now have to expect that a transfer will happen in the summer.
To decide not to play Cristiano says Pirlo doesn’t want him. The could let him walk then they could buy Morata. I’m a Morata fan but it takes a big personality to be the man at a big club. Coaches always like to pretend players are interchangeable; not every player can carry the burden for an iconic team. Maybe with Chiesa, Dybala, and Morata, Juventus has a committee to carry the burden.