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Juventus manager Maurizio Sarri heaped praise on star attackers Cristiano Ronaldo and Paulo Dybala ahead of their clash with AC Milan. The Coppa Italia semi-final will serve as a spectacle that marks the return of Italian football ahead of the Serie A restart.
Sarri praised Dybala saying the Argentine is a 'phenomenal' player who could help Juventus. However, the former Chelsea coach noted that it is difficult for both him and Cristiano Ronaldo to coexist at the tip of the Bianconeri's attack.
'Phenomenal' Juventus attackers Dybala and Cristiano Ronaldo
Speaking ahead of the crunch tie against the Rossoneri, Sarri told Sky Sports;
"(Paulo) Dybala is a phenomenal player, although tactically it is difficult to make him coexist with Cristiano Ronaldo."
The Italian continued on a positive note;
"They can make a difference, (but) it is not easy to make them play together. With such technical and physical qualities they can make a difference at any time and the team must adapt to them in both phases. The spaces (behind) thus remains somewhat empty, but it is a pleasant difficulty."
Cristiano Ronaldo has had a stellar season in the Italian top-flight so far. In his 22 games, the Portuguese icon scored a whopping 21 goals along with three assists — which tallies to just over a goal or assist in every game he's played.
What's even better is that he has already matched his Serie A tally from the previous term. In his 30 league games for Juventus in 2018/19, Cristiano Ronaldo managed 21 goals and eight assists, a figure he's achieved in eight starts lesser in 2019/20.
Cristiano Ronaldo has spearheaded Juventus' charge for the Scudetto as well as their hunt for UEFA Champions League glory. However, he has had an uncharacteristic start to his UCL campaign with just two goals to his name in seven appearances.
Apart from Dybala and Cristiano Ronaldo, Juventus manager Sarri also spoke about Barcelona target Miralem Pjanić. The Bosnian looks set to depart the Allianz Stadium for one of Europe's elite, with PSG, Chelsea and Barcelona interested in the midfielder.
Speaking to Sky about his ageing yet 'extraordinary' midfielder, the Juventus manager commented;
"(Miralem) Pjanić has improved after the stop. I talked a lot with him. He is extraordinary and cannot afford 4-5 games below his standard as has happened."
Sarri continued by revealing Juventus midfielder's progress in recent training sessions. The 61-year-old urged the Barcelona target to hold his head high and that all players are susceptible to a poor run of form. He added;
"He agrees with me, he didn't have the strength to react after a few poor games, but he has to convince himself that he is a great player and it can happen to everyone. We must not lose conviction and raise our heads. He has made good progress and in recent training (sessions) I have seen him very well."
Juventus will be without the services of defender Merih Demiral and striker Gonzalo Higuain for the game against AC Milan. The Old Lady will resume their Scudetto chase and fend off a fearless Lazio side who sit just one point behind Cristiano Ronaldo's Juventus.
