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What's the story?
Juventus' season is almost over with only a couple of games left to play, with the Italian side winning yet another Serie A title.
Footballing legend and former Juventus player, Andrea Pirlo, recently commented on Juventus' first season with Cristiano Ronaldo, stating that despite signing the Portuguese legend, Juventus' problems in midfield haven't been resolved.
In case you didn't know..
Cristiano Ronaldo led Juventus to Serie A title but failed to get them past Ajax in the UEFA Champions League. It turned out to be yet another disappointment for Juventus in Europe.
The Heart of the Matter
Pirlo stated in an interview that "I think we (Juventus) need an Isco. We're on another level, but you have to win the Champions League."
Whilst not said in many words, we can infer that Pirlo meant that a club of Juventus' stature has to be a real contender for the Champions League like the other major clubs in Europe.
Andrea Pirlo further argued that "Midfielders are needed to get to the bottom of the Champions League."And for Juventus to progress further than their disappointing quarter-final exit this season, this will need to be addressed in the summer.
He also commented on Ronaldo, sympathizing with the Portuguese forward by arguing that "Juventus lacked quality in the middle. They bought Ronaldo but didn't know how to get the ball to him.".
For any who have watched Juventus over the last season can see that Pirlo's words have a ring of truth to them, and it is of no surprise that he has made these comments, as Juventus' midfield have been largely stale, with Ronaldo being visibly angered at times during matches.
Despite winning the league, Juventus have been poor as an attacking threat and heavily reliant on Ronaldo, which was evinced by the Portuguese scoring all 5 of their goals in the knockout stages of the Champions League.
Yet despite his heroics, especially against Atletico Madrid, Juventus' problems were exposed by a young Ajax side in the Quarterfinals.
What's next?
Juventus have a huge summer ahead of them. The signing of Ronaldo was just the beginning but unless they start bolstering their midfield with more creative and attacking minded players, it could see the Portuguese leave prematurely.
Aaron Ramsey is a good start but it can't stop there, and with interest surrounding a number of players, it could prove to be a very interesting summer.
