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Juventus didn't help Ronaldo in his first Serie A season

Juventus didn't help Ronaldo in his first Serie A season

Cristiano Ronaldo has completed his first full season at Juventus, with the Portuguese out of the bianconeri's last game of the campaign against Sampdoria.

While Juventus have not won the UEFA Champions League, this season can't be called a bad one for Ronaldo. Although it can be called a bad one for Juve, but Ronaldo has done well at a time when many players approach the twilight of their careers.

He has not finished as the highest scorer in the league and did not deserve to win the MVP award, but for someone of his age, scoring 27 times in all competitions is not a small task. Even though, it has been an underwhelming season in which Ronaldo could have done better, it is crucial to put some context into what others can do at this age.

In his first season at Real Madrid, Ronaldo had scored 33 times in all competitions. In his first season at Juventus, he has scored 27 times and if the playing style under Massimiliano Allegri would have been more decisive, he could have crossed 30 very easily.

At Real, the way the side played favored him. It was pragmatic and very settled. There was pace and youth around him that allowed him to be closer to goal and score more than he did at Manchester United.

At Juventus, which is an ageing side, Ronaldo has had to more in the build up than he would want to. While that isn't the reason for the fall in goals, it is an indication at how he should be used. He can do a good job in being involved in the build-up, but playing him with a player like Douglas Costa on one side and a Paulo Dybala on the other will be better than having Mario Mandzukic play beside him.

It remains to be seen who the next Juve manager will be. But Ronaldo's role will change. And if Juve want to get the best out of him, it will be best to play him as the sole target man in a pragmatic system.