Cristiano Ronaldo has ‘special rights’ at Juventus, which allows him to decide which games he wants to miss so he can rest, according to reports.
Juventus have been heavily reliant on the Portuguese forward, winning only one of the four Serie A games they have played without him this campaign.
The Italian side are currently fourth in the league table and are currently six points off behind league leaders AC Milan, after they dropped points with five draws from their opening nine matches.
Ronaldo has scored eight goals in five league games, more than the rest of the team combined, and they dropped points again in their recent game without him.
Against newly promoted Benevento, Juve drew 1-1 and struggled without him, and Andrea Pirlo claimed Juventus need to learn to win without Ronaldo.
He said: “He [Ronaldo] is a catalyst, when there is a such a strong player, it’s normal for the game to develop on him. It’s not just us addicted to Ronaldo, but it happens sometimes that he’s not there and we need to improve in these matches.”
Ronaldo was rested for the match as a precaution and a report from Italian publication Corriere della Sera claims that Pirlo’s ‘honeymoon is over’.
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According to the report, Juventus stars are unhappy with the manager’s lack of communication and not responding to his tactics, with Paulo Dybala and Kulusevski named as players who are unsure what their role is in the team.
It is also claimed that Ronaldo is able to choose which games to skip and his absence has revealed the problems at the club.
However, Pirlo has said that the former United star does not receive any special treatment, saying: “I treat him like I treat all the other players. I’m always available on and off the pitch. It’s easy to have a good relationship between humble people.
“I’m like that. I behave with him – a champion – like I do with [Gianluca] Frabotta or [Manolo] Portanova, who are two young players.I do the same things I was used to doing when I was a player.”
