LAST summer, as Juventus finalised their preparations for the 2018/19 campaign, they once again headed to the small town of Villar Perosa. Located 25 miles southwest of Turin, it is the traditional home of the Agnelli family who own the club and each year the squad travels there to play a friendly match against players from their own youth sector.
Before doing so however, the team is addressed by the President, and this year it was Andrea Agnelli who stood before them in the gardens of his family residence. “It’s going to be a difficult year, but one where we must move from dream to objective,” he said. “The Champions League must be our objective this season. It has to be the Champions League, it has to be the Scudetto, and it has to be the Coppa Italia.
“This year, we really have to set ourselves the target of winning everything. In order to achieve that, Max Allegri and his staff know full well, we must work day by day to reap the rewards at the end.”
CHAMPIONS OF ITALY!!! #W8NDERFUL!!! pic.twitter.com/ZOcXo2AGnK
— JuventusFC (@juventusfcen) April 20, 2019
Having previously refrained from such bold statements and insisting that Juve’s aim was to be regulars in the quarterfinals of UEFA’s elite competition, the reason for Agnelli’s confidence was obvious; Cristiano Ronaldo was among the players standing before him.
The Portuguese megastar had been signed from Real Madrid at a cost of €112 million, and in doing so, Italian football’s grand Old Lady had effectively ended years of careful planning and building for the future.
As well as acquiring Ronaldo, the club spent another €40.4M on full-back João Cancelo, then sacrificed Mattia Caldara – a 24-year-old viewed as the most promising central defender of his generation – to bring Leonardo Bonucci (31) back from AC Milan. Add in a further €16 million to secure the “free” transfer of Emre Can from Liverpool and the message was clear: this was a club in “win now” mode.
Fast forward to today however, and it is impossible not to look back at those words from Agnelli and say they have fallen short of those lofty expectations. It may be harsh to view a team who won a record-shattering eighth consecutive Serie A title as a failure, but those goals set out by the club President were clear.
Yes, in one competition they achieved their aim, doing so while scoring more goals (and conceding fewer) than anyone else in the division. The Scudetto was won with five games to spare, an achievement that not only merits heartfelt celebration and admiration, but one which underlines their complete dominance of the Italian football landscape.
Some are born for greatness…
Cristiano Ronaldo is the first player ever to win the #PremierLeague, #LaLiga, and now, #SerieA#CR7JUVE | #MUFC | #HalaMadrid | #W8nderful pic.twitter.com/a1Yt91taCo
— Unibet (@unibet) April 20, 2019
However, in both the Coppa Italia and the Champions League, that same team was undone in remarkably similar fashion. Back in January, Juve travelled to Atalanta’s Stadio Atleti Azzurri d’Italia for a cup quarter final and found themselves completely overrun, the high energy and relentless pressing of their opponents’ midfield proving too much for the one-paced, pragmatic players fielded by the Bianconeri in that area of the pitch.
If that sounds familiar, it is probably because that exact same pathology played out in Europe too, a Champions League quarter final against Ajax seeing the same flaws ruthlessly exposed by a team who could outrun, outpace and outmanoeuvre Allegri’s men in midfield. Just as Marten De Roon and Remo Freuler had in Bergamo, Donny van de Beek and Frenkie de Jong ran riot in Turin, Emre Can and Blaise Matuidi left chasing shadows against players who seemed to be constantly in motion.
It is not a criticism of the latter duo, both of whom have proven their quality time after time. Instead it is recognition of the fact that, when fielded alongside Miralem Pjanić, they form a unit that cannot keep up with what ESPN’s Simon Kuper describes as “storming,” a tactical decision to win the ball back high up the pitch and then throw men forward in search of quick goals.
Sterile possession is no longer the order of the day, and Juve’s approach looks positively out-dated as a result, Ronaldo – the competition’s all-time leading scorer – netting just six Champions League goals, his lowest return since leaving Manchester United a decade earlier.
But what of the 34-year-old’s impact? Given he had to adjust to a new club, new country, new culture and a new language, it is remarkable that he sits just three goals behind Serie A leading scorer Fabio Quagliarella.
Juventus have dominated Serie A for nearly a decade, but despite coming close, they've not been able to get over the Champions League hump.
That was why they broke the bank for Ronaldo, but they’ve failed once again, losing to a superior Ajax side.
So, what’s next for Juventus?
— EiF (@EiFSoccer) April 18, 2019
Ronaldo could well be Capocannoniere, while he has also brought much more attention to Juve, his arrival having a tangible impact on their share price, shirt sales and social media following. He has promised that he will be back next term too, intent on helping his new club achieve the objective they so openly covet. “I’m staying at Juve, 1,000 per cent,” he told broadcaster DAZN last weekend before going on to discuss his view of the current campaign with Sky Italia.
“In my opinion, it was a very good first season and I adapted well. We won the Scudetto and the Italian Super Cup, which is certainly not easy to achieve,” Ronaldo said. “It was a year of success, we are happy. You can’t win all the time. We felt that we could do more and we wanted to win, but only one side can win the Champions League. Next year is a new page, the fans all want it and so do we. It is an important trophy, but it’s difficult to get there in this tournament.”
That is undoubtedly true, but it is also very obvious how the transfer will be judged. Juventus have not won the Champions League in 23 years and they bought a five-time Ballon d’Or winner in order to turn the dream of ending that barren run into a reality.
He didn’t do it in his first season and serious investment in the midfield will be required in order for it to happen next term but make no mistake, in order for his move to be truly deemed a success, Cristiano Ronaldo must win the Champions League during his time at Juventus. The wait continues.
