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The 25th of August, 2018 will always remain as a special date in the history of Juventus; the day Cristiano Ronaldo made his home debut for the Old Lady. His debut, however, proved to be a difficult one against Lazio who finished fifth in the Serie A and level on points with fourth-placed Inter Milan last season.
Even for a man of Ronaldo's quality, there will come a transition period for a different league with different players and a new style of play. Cristiano's nine-year stay at Real Madrid means that the habits developed during his time in the Spanish capital are very fresh. Juventus midfielder Miralem Pjanic eased any nerves the fans may have had, as the Bosnian's sweet strike gave Juve the lead.
The Old Lady were not without fault during the first period, as Ciro Immobile, Senad Lulic and Parolo squandered some key opportunities. Cristiano's team-mates desperately tried to get the best out of the 33-year-old but were let down by some poor crossing and a lack of communication.
#1 Dealing with the physicality of the new league
Serie A has always had a reputation based on physicality, pragmatism and grit. Over the years, however, teams have started to adopt a more attacking approach to games, with this even being the case for sides lower down. Italy's top tier can still rival any European league for physicality, especially compared to the more lightweight La Liga Santander where teams demonstrate more technical ability and possession play.
Several times during the match against Lazio, Ronaldo found himself having to battle against Wallace, Stephan Radu and Acerbi to win headers. Last year in La Liga, Cristiano would have possibly found himself unmarked or under much less pressure in similar situations.
Juventus' title-winning side of last season scored eight fewer goals than the Real Madrid team that finished seventeen points behind Barcelona, this mainly being down to the more secure backlines in Serie A.
In recent years, however, Cristiano Ronaldo has transformed himself into the ultimate penalty-box predator, with a ruthless eye for goal and the sharpest movement in the business. Fans across the world, therefore, believe that Ronaldo's time will soon come and that he will gradually adapt to the Serie A.
#2 Juventus place more emphasis on defence
In most teams, the attacking players take the limelight and receive much of the credit. Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez are the headline acts for FC Barcelona and at PSG, the plaudits usually go to Neymar, Kylian Mbappe and Edinson Cavani.
When people think of Juventus, many think of the legendary backline that led the Old Lady for so many years, with players such as Gianluigi Buffon, Andrea Barzagli and Leo Bonucci now part of Juve folklore. Barzagli and Bonucci are still in the Serie A and despite Buffon's departure to PSG, the Italian champions look as secure as ever.
Madrid last season were all over the place at the back, as they conceded 44 goals in La Liga last year, double the total conceded by Juve in their campaign. Real Madrid also looked vulnerable during their Champions League winning campaign, especially against Bayern Munich and Juventus.
Although Marcelo and Dani Carvajal left gaps in the defence, they provided great service for Ronaldo in the penalty area. Joao Cancelo did provide the assist for Mario Mandzukic's goal but will certainly be told to stay further back by Juve's more pragmatic manager Massimiliano Allegri.
Juve's midfield certainly boasts a lot of talent in Blaise Matuidi, Miralem Pjanic and Sami Khedira, but does not have the creativity and passing range of Real Madrid's midfield which could make goals harder to come by for Ronaldo.
#3 Cristiano Ronaldo's new strike partners
As well as having to adapt to new surroundings, Ronaldo will have to adjust to his new attacking partners; Mario Mandzukic, Paulo Dybala and Fredrico Bernardeschi. One reason why Ronaldo had such success at Real Madrid involved the selfless attitude adopted by Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema.
Although the Frenchman started as the central striker, he would often move out wide and run down the wing in order to allow Cristiano to move into the penalty area.
Mario Mandzukic will have a similar role to play in running down the channels and grafting away. Mandzukic, however, is not the quickest and likes to roam around the penalty area in search of goals.
In the game against Lazio, we saw signs of Ronaldo accepting this and running down the flanks himself. He provided the assist for the second goal which looked somewhat fortuitous, as both Mandzukic and Ronaldo queued up at the far post.
