• Reaction

Pirlo reacts to Ronaldo’s performance against Sampdoria

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After Juventus’ victory over Sampdoria, Andrea Pirlo reacted to Cristiano Ronaldo’s performance at Luigi Ferraris Stadium. 

Cristiano Ronaldo was the most important player in the match between Juventus and Sampdoria. The player ratings suggest he was instrumental in this new victory despite not scoring a goal throughout the 90 minutes. He created both major chances that gave the Biancineri a final 0-2 away victory and three vital points in Serie A. For Andrea Pirlo, Cristiano not scoring a goal wasn’t important because he was still involved in his side’s two goals.

His position on the pitch was slightly different compared to other matches, as per Andrea Pirlo’s request. The novice manager is starting to imprint his own philosophy on the team and Cristiano is learning to play in this new position. Today, Cristiano performed better as a playmaker than a striker. Although Pirlo pointed out other players in tonight’s win, he also acknowledged Ronaldo’s contribution. 

Pirlo is happy with Ronaldo’s performance.

“Chiesa is a young player who joined a big club, facing international matches for the first time, and it was a big step up for him, so he was a little shy at first. He’s settled now, gained in confidence, and has improved a great deal,” Pirlo said on Sky Sport Italia. “We think it’s good that he is finishing off the moves that we attack. He ought to do it more often, making the most of his runs from deep.

“It’s a pity we didn’t kill off the game in the first half, as we had the chances to double our lead. I believe it’s only normal with a one-goal gap that Sampdoria would push harder, but Wojciech Szczesny didn’t make any particularly difficult saves. We got the second goal eventually, although we should’ve done it earlier. Ronaldo gave his contribution again today with his passes for both goals, so the important thing is that the team wins.”

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