Cristiano Ronaldo had another game where he couldn’t quite get it going as Juventus beat Parma 2-1.
Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri has backed Cristiano Ronaldo to break his scoring duck for the club after the international break.
Ronaldo, 33, has yet to score for his new club after arriving this summer from Real Madrid in a €100 million move. Juventus beat Parma 2-1 on Saturday night, with goals from Mario Mandzukic and Blaise Matuidi, and Allegri believes his star forward just needs time to adjust.
“Italian football presents different problems and it takes time,” he said. “He’s not getting the rub of the green at the moment either — the ball is not bouncing right for him or he’s shooting just off target.
“We’ll all be fresher after the break and that’s when the real season starts.”
Allegri insisted that Serie A presents different issues to a player who has only played in Portugal, Spain and England previously.
“Serie A is a league where the teams defend carefully,” he added. “I don’t want to say that it’s better than other leagues in Europe or not. Let’s just say that the teams are very strong in defence and the coaches are very good.
“They study every match to try not to concede space to the other teams. Everyone puts Serie A down but it’s very difficult for a player to score 40 goals a season. [Gonzalo] Higuain did it once, but was an extraordinary feat.
“Usually the top scorer in Italy scores 26 or 27 goals. And usually the top scorer in Italy never wins the title. So maybe it’s better for us.”
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