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Against Juventus in the quarter-finals of the Champions League last season, Cristiano Ronaldo scored one of the best goals of his career. He celebrated running to the nearest corner flag, fully waiting to further feed the antipathy of a jealous opposition crowd. But, rather than taunting, the roar of Real Madrid fans was followed by a round of applause from home support. The Portuguese icon seemed a little baffled by all this.
Months later, Ronaldo signed for Juventus in a reported contract of £ 99.2 million that broke the Italian transfer record. At 33, he is now ready to begin another exciting chapter of his career. Juventus have won Serie A for seven consecutive seasons, and the signing of today 's top scorer can not hurt his chances. to extend this race to eight in 2018/19. However, it remains to be seen exactly how Ronaldo will fit into their tactical plans this season and beyond. Here at Tribal Football, we are doing our best to evaluate what the Ronaldo-Juventus partnership could look like.
TACTICAL SUMMARY BRIEF
Ronaldo has made a name as a winger, although in recent seasons he has evolved into a more central role. Last season, he spent most of his time playing the role of a half-two-man team with Karim Benzema. With this in mind, we can expect him to play as a lone striker or be part of a two-man team at Juventus, according to the whims of his new head coach, Mbadimiliano Allegri.
Allegri is an extremely versatile tactician. completely afraid to change the systems on a match-by-match basis. Indeed, last term, he used eight different basic shapes according to WhoScored. However, he tended to prefer a 4-2-3-1 or, in the matches against a more talented opposition, a 4-3-3 that offered more players in midfield midfield.
The 4-3-3 would have "said old Ronaldo, because he could have snuck out from the left as an inverted wingman. However, the current version prefers to operate closer to the center and the last line of defense. Of the two systems that Juventus favored last season, the 4-2-3-1 is the one that best suits the signing of the summer. However, there are some other options that they might consider, which we will see later in this article
WHAT RONALDO BRINGS, AND WHAT RONALDO NEEDS
Since his first appearing at Manchester United, Ronaldo has been a consistent finisher of chances. He possesses a powerful shot with both feet and is excellent in the air, although he has also grown up in a smarter front as he has aged. Like all grown ups, he has adapted to the declining physical capacity of his own body, relying more and more on mental attributes to maintain his performance levels.
His movement and his anticipation are remarkable. He knows how to distract his marker and he also knows where to be at the end of the cross and balls. All this allows him to create or find space even in congested penalty areas. An individualist as an opportunist, he is fully focused on shooting, sometimes at the expense of scoring chances of his team. With this attitude, with quick reactions and his other aforementioned qualities of the ball, he is a supreme poacher.
But Ronaldo, like all footballers, does not exist in the void. In order to play at its best, there are certain things that it requires of those who surround it. At Real Madrid, he was able to feast on the quality crossing of the offensive side backs of Marcelo and, to a lesser extent, Dani Carvajal. He was also given defensive freedom, which meant he did not need to outdo himself when the team was defending.
Juventus will have to adapt to Ronaldo because it is unlikely – especially at this advanced stage of his career – that Ronaldo will adapt to them. So, while Allegri usually asks his attackers to get involved in the pressing, he may have to change that in the future. At the same time, he will have to ensure that his team includes side-backs and / or wingers willing and able to open the field and bad in specific centers
Finally, as mentioned above, the Juventus a typing position in the system that they finally decide. The impact of RONALDO on JUVENTUS forwards
Gonzalo Higuain was Juventus' first-choice striker last season. The Argentinian played every three games of the league of his team and was one of the few players that Allegri played, no matter the system chosen. However, Higuain is also Ronaldo's closest player on all of Juve's current term options.
Higuain is, or was, the player that Allegri asks the least from a defensive point of view. Generally, he is asked to go back and maintain a central position to cut midfield pbades; he is sometimes asked to be more aggressive and to put pressure on the central defenders of the opposition. But for Ronaldo to start and Juventus to be as effective at the moment of the pressure, it will probably rely on the attackers alongside the Portuguese who are ready and able to support intensively for 90 minutes each week. Higuain is actually not part of it, so his chances of getting started have come down.
While his total of 22 goals in 33 league outings may suggest otherwise, Paulo Dybala was not always nailed at the start last season. There were times, especially when Juventus had a 4-3-3 with wingers and a center forward forward to Higuain, where Dybala did not seem to adapt to the system. In this respect, Dybala is very similar to Ronaldo – he plays his best football when the system is faithful to him, and not the opposite
There is however a reason to think that Dybala and Ronaldo could work well together. First, Dybala likes to occupy the right half-space; Ronaldo, on the other hand, likes to cut inside on the left side. In simple terms, they will not interfere with each other. In addition, Dybala thrives playing a No.9. Despite an impressive season leading the line for Palermo, he has always relished the freedom to dive deep, take the ball and create. Ronaldo, on the other hand, is a finisher as pure as possible.
Mario Mandzukic is someone who is capable and willing to integrate where it is needed. This has been evident throughout his time at Juventus. In his first season, he played in front of two, often alongside Dybala. Then, when Higuain arrived, he moved to the left wing. That his change of position had no negative impact on him or on the form of his team demonstrates the versatility and the work ethic of the player. It remains, at the very least, a sound group option despite Ronaldo's signature.
RONALDO AND JUVENTUS: A POSSIBLE SYSTEM
Of Higuain, Mandzukic and Dybala, the latter is the player most likely to integrate with Ronaldo. A two player Higuain and Ronaldo would involve two players looking to simultaneously attack the penalty area, which would likely result in a decrease in team pressure activity. Last season, only Federico Bernardeschi averaged fewer tackles per game than Higuain at 0.5, and no Juve player made less interceptions than his 0.2. Ronaldo, however, made the same number of interceptions and averaged only 0.3 tackles. Juventus can not really afford to play both at the same time.
As for Mandzukic, his chances will suffer for systemic needs of another type. A Ronaldo and Dybala front needs a width of quality – the latter needs to stretch the defensive blocks of the opposition and create spaces for him to move in there; the first one needs him as – as discussed earlier – he prospers on the right crossing.
Mandzukic's air capacity, support game and intelligent use of space are effective in many situations, but it does not have the skill, the pace or the temperament to hold a broad stance to left, beat his opponent and bad in good quantity for Juve's new star striker. For this reason, his position could be threatened.
Ronaldo and Dybala might well work as an opportunist and designer / scorer in a 4-2-3-1 or 3-5-2 system, both used by Allegri in recent seasons. In the first form, the width could be provided by Douglas Costa and Bernardeschi; in the latter case, it could come from offensive wingmen Joao Cancelo and Alex Sandro. With this in mind, the graph below shows how Juventus could line up next season.
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