Andrea Pirlo’s tactical plans at Juventus were hampered by Cristiano Ronaldo’s prominence, according to his former assistant Alparslan Erdem.
Data reportedly showed Ronaldo contributing the least in pressing intensity, but his status made him undroppable, forcing Pirlo to adapt his system around him rather than the other way around.
Andrea Pirlo’s time as Juventus head coach was marked by both silverware and underlying tension within the squad hierarchy — particularly surrounding Cristiano Ronaldo’s role.
Andrea Pirlo ‘did not like Cristiano Ronaldo’ when he was coach of Juventus, revealed his assistant manager. ‘He didn’t want Ronaldo, but he couldn’t do anything about it.’#Juventus #CR7 #SerieA #Calcio pic.twitter.com/bkjZ9bAVaf
— Football Italia (@footballitalia) October 16, 2025
Pirlo, who retired as a player in 2018 and took charge of Juventus in 2020 in his first managerial role, led the team to Coppa Italia and Supercoppa Italiana titles during his sole season in charge. However, behind the scenes, he faced significant constraints in shaping the team according to his tactical preferences.
According to JuveFC, Pirlo’s assistant at Juventus Alparslan Erdem, who later worked alongside Pirlo at Karagümrük, said the former Italy midfielder was not in favour of having Ronaldo as part of his system. Data analysis during that period reportedly showed Ronaldo contributing the least in terms of high-intensity pressing and sprints — a key element of Pirlo’s approach.
Despite these findings, Pirlo had little influence over Ronaldo’s involvement due to the Portuguese star’s status as a marquee signing, both on the pitch and commercially. The club’s investment and reliance on Ronaldo’s global profile made his selection almost obligatory.
Erdem also revealed that Pirlo preferred Álvaro Morata to lead the line, as the Spaniard was better suited to the coach’s 4-4-2 structure. The tactical balance Pirlo sought was difficult to achieve with both Ronaldo and Paulo Dybala in the same setup, leaving him with limited room to implement his ideas fully.
Since his Juventus departure, Pirlo has had brief managerial stints at clubs including Sampdoria and is currently coaching United FC in the UAE. Erdem, meanwhile, has continued his coaching career in North Macedonia with Rabotnicki Skopje.
