Juventus’ Cristiano Ronaldo experiment falls short
Juventus’ 2-1 quarterfinal second leg loss to Ajax at home proved the Portuguese superstar is not the final piece in solving the Old Lady’s European conundrum.
It seemed nearly impossible to believe until it happened. Cristiano Ronaldo and Juventus seemed like they would get it done, just like always, even when trailing to a glittering Ajax side. At home in the second leg, in the critical moments this team would come alive just as they had to narrowly advance past Atlético Madrid in the round of 16.
That comeback against Ajax never materialized, and truthfully, it didn’t deserve to. The 2018-19 iteration of Juventus showed nothing to say that they merited being amongst Europe’s four best teams. They were taught an absolute footballing lesson at home with the one-two passing of a young Ajax side that has stolen the hearts of every neutral supporter. At the end of the day, however, the Dutch outfit recognized something many did not; Juve were not to be feared, as the reputation of the players far outweighed the reality on the pitch.
Atleti succumbed to fear in their second leg tie against Juve, sitting deep and begging not to be scored on after not putting away the necessary chances to seal it at home in the first leg. That ill-fated strategy, however, just opened the door for Max Allegri’s men to pounce. Ajax were not timid, however, as they walked into the Allianz Stadium and absolutely schooled Juventus in all three phases of the game and deservedly advanced.
Their star man, Ronaldo, was signed in the summer as Juventus’ record transfer with one goal in mind: win the Champions League.
They had come agonizingly close before in recent seasons, losing to Ronaldo’s Real Madrid in the 2017 final and Lionel Messi’s Barcelona in 2015 edition. The Italian champions had advanced past the rest of their domestic competitors, and believed that the Portuguese forward would be the final piece in an enigma that has haunted the club since last winning the 1995-96 competition in a final, ironically, against Ajax.
An odd aura hangs over this Juventus season. While they will waltz to their eighth consecutive Scudetto this year in Serie A, they have yet to truly play to their potential and dominate matches. While winning the league remains a remarkable achievement, it’s hard to view the season as anything but a failure when looked at through the context of their preseason ambitions of European dominance.
In hindsight, while Juve was considered among the favorites to lift the Champions League throughout the season, their performances on the pitch never validated that status. They quietly advanced through a weak group, and it took a near-miracle to advance past arguably the worst Atlético team of the last five years.
As for Ronaldo himself, while it was a good campaign, it never hit the highs of old. He managed just one goal in group stage, and while he was Juventus’ only real goalscoring threat in the knockout stages, he wasn’t able to lift his teammates poor performances as he has in the past. The Atleti hat trick was a magical moment, but instead of a run to the final as it might have sparked in recent years for Real Madrid, Juve limped out in the next round.
Domestically, while 19 goals and eight assists is undoubtedly a great return, it appears age is beginning to finally wear on the 34-year old Ronaldo.
The fear for the Old Lady moving forward is that the result against Ajax was no fluke. They were entirely outplayed, and could have conceded more if the Dutch had been more clinical in front of goal. With an aging spine of a past generation, young star Paulo Dybala appearing incompatible with Ronaldo, and uncertainty as to whether or not Allegri will continue his reign in Turin, this summer represents a crossroads for the Italian champions.
Despite the failure, in his post-match press conference Allegri maintained his desire to continue his project next season at Juventus, where he has had immense success following Antonio Conte.
"“Ajax fully deserved to qualify, but at the same time we are aware that for the last five or six years we’ve been a stable presence in the Champions League quarter-finals and so want to keep that progress going, year after year, year after year,” Allegri said. “We’re about to win the eighth consecutive Scudetto and that is extraordinary. Juventus were 43rd in the UEFA rankings and are now fifth, so we have to evaluate the whole situation.”"
While stability has been a focal point of this team, change is needed for this team to truly ascend to the top of Europe’s premier club competition. And if a side built around and through Ronaldo is going to potentially drive out talents such as Dybala, Juve will need to rebound quickly in order to maximize their star in his remaining years.
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It seemed a given that Juventus’ summer ambition would at least put them in serious contention to break their Champions League duck. While this failure must be placed into the context of what has been an incredible decade of success for the club both financially and on the pitch, Juve must right the ship quickly in the summer―or risk wasting the generational talent of the biggest signing in club history.