Cristiano Ronaldo becoming a liability to Juventus as star responsible for opposition goal

Cristiano Ronaldo has continued to shine in Serie A since joining Juventus in 2018 with the Portuguese superstar scoring goals for fun with the Turin side in the last three years. However, despite coming out all guns blazing and scoring some crucial goals for the Italian outfit, the 36-year-old former Real Madrid player has been subjected to heavy criticism for his free-kicks — while taking or defending one.

Cristiano Ronaldo's weak point exposed

The 36-year-old attacker has managed to score only one free-kick goal for Juventus over the last three years and seems to have lost his touch. However, the Portugal international's defensive abilities during dead ball situations have been rather highlighted in the ongoing season. Ronaldo's inability to use his athletic body and block dangerous free-kicks has been a major liability for Juventus with the former Real Madrid star often seen ducking under an opposition free-kick rather than standing tall to defend the situation.

Such an incident has happened for the second time in recent history as Ronaldo first failed to commit himself to defend a free-kick against FC Porto who managed to fire the ball away and score the goal which eventually knocked Juventus out of the UEFA Champions League. Ronaldo failed to learn from his mistake and was again found ducking while facing a free-kick which led to Juventus conceding an early goal to Parma on Wednesday.

Despite conceding an early goal to Gaston Brugman's strike in the first half, the Bianconeri managed to bounce back and found an unlikely goalscorer in Alex Sandro who managed to find the back of the net in each half to bring Juventus back in the game. A late 68th-minute strike from Matthijs de Ligt was enough to help Juventus seal the deal and record a comprehensive 3-1 win over Parma on Wednesday. After the match, all the focus was directed towards Ronaldo with head coach Andres Pirlo being questioned about Ronaldo's shortcomings and defensive liability in the team.

What's next for Juventus?

After recording their 19th league win over Parma on Wednesday, Juventus find themselves move up to the third position on the Serie A standings. The Turin outfit now is just one point away from matching AC Milan's tally but trail league leaders Inter Milan by 11 points. 

Cristiano Ronaldo form has not dipped since his move from Real Madrid to Juventus in 2018 as Cristiano Ronaldo stats show that the five-time Ballon d'Or winner has racked up 96 goals for the Bianconeri since joining them, helping the team win two consecutive Serie A titles. Andrea Pirlo will be banking on the Portuguese superstar to continue performing well and cement a spot for Juventus in the final four of the ongoing campaign.