The Juve boss admitted that the 35-year-old was not happy with the victory in Coppa Italia
Juventus head coach Andrea Pirlo has defended his decision to submit Cristiano Ronaldo to Tuesday’s win over Inter, despite the Portuguese star being unhappy that he was taken off the field.
Ronaldo scored twice and struck back twice in the first half of the second leg of the Coppa Italia semi-final after Lautaro Martinez opened the scoring for Inter in the ninth minute.
Juve would win the game 2-1 at the San Siro, taking a major advantage in the second game in Turin next week.
After the match, Pirlo was questioned about his decision to take down Ronaldo in the 77th minute and said he felt the need to let his team’s star, who turns 36 on Friday, rest.
“It’s normal that if you go out in a game like this, you want to play to help the team,” Pirlo said. Rai Sport.
“There is no contract clause that says he cannot be relinquished. He knows he’s a fundamental player for us, but to breathe, he must always be on top.
“He proved it with his actions after criticism. He could not have done better than that.
“I said [to him] that he had to rest, we have an important match on Saturday. He has played many consecutive games, and every now and then a little rest is good for him. ”
After beating Juve 2-0 in the Serie A game just two weeks ago, Inter were delighted to see his side bounce back against a tough opponent.
“We were not in the league against Inter ourselves, but it was also a valuable lesson and we worked on the mistakes made in the game,” Pirlo added.
“It’s just the first round. We have not achieved anything yet. What it does prove is that if we are fully concentrated, it becomes difficult for anyone against us. We know our power.
‘It’s not easy to maintain this intensity when you play almost every day. I saw a big reaction after I found out.
Before Juventus take on Inter in the second game, they will play Roma against Roma A in the A series.