Cristiano Ronaldo: Max Allegri wants Juventus to do ONE thing despite SPAL win

Posted Sunday, November 25, 2018 by Express.co.uk

Cristiano Ronaldo: Max Allegri wants Juventus to do ONE thing despite SPAL win
Cristiano Ronaldo helped Juventus beat SPAL in Serie A (Image: GETTY)

JUVENTUS players should all try to copy Cristiano Ronaldo.

That’s the view of boss Max Allegri, who saw Ronaldo score as Juve beat SPAL in Serie A on Saturday.

It means Juventus sit nine points clear of second-placed Napoli, who have a game in hand on the Turin side.

Ronaldo joined Juventus from Real Madrid in the summer and has helped them to an unbeaten start in the league.

They have won 12 of their 13 games and look set for an eighth successive Serie A title.

Ronaldo is the joint top-scorer in the division, bagging nine.

And Allegri wants his players to match the movement and thinking that former Manchester United star Ronaldo has, despite the unbeaten start.

“It wasn’t easy, as we had only 20 points in the last 10 games after a break for international duty,” Allegr told Sky Sport Italia.

“We struggled more in the first half than the second, whereas we changed a few things with Douglas Costa behind Ronaldo and Mandzukic, so that helped the team both on and off the ball.

“Douglas Costa had a bit of a rough period due to injuries and other issues, but he put in a good performance this evening, above all in terms of personality.

“Rodrigo Bentancur has improved a great deal, although he still needs a little step forward when on the ball, as he has to pick the right pass.

“Timing is very important in these situations to find your teammate in a good position.

“Miralem Pjanic and Bentancur had to stay fairly static in midfield, otherwise we’d risk SPAL going on the counter-attack.

“Ronaldo moves and thinks so quickly, he saw Douglas Costa coming out the corner of his eye and pulled the pass back. We need to all improve in that sense, being able to think ahead to the next move.

“I do look at the characteristics of the opponents, but I make my choices above all based on motivation and determination.

“Every now and then, a spell on the bench is good for players, especially if they play all the time and can get a bit sleepy.

“It’s a very competitive squad. Daniele Rugani is a very good defender, but we have five excellent defenders. Medhi Benatia played against Milan because it was his kind of game, he had to get the crosses in the box.”