The Juve boss admitted that the 35-year-old did not like the defeat in the Italian Cup victory
Juventus coach Andrea Pirlo defended his decision to subdue Cristiano Ronaldo in Tuesday’s victory over Inter, despite the Portuguese star being unhappy about being pulled from the field.
Ronaldo scored two goals in the first half of the second leg of the Coppa Italia semifinal, fighting back after Lautaro Martinez opened the scoring for Inter in the ninth minute.
Juve would win the game 2-1 in San Siro, taking a vital advantage for next week’s second leg in Turin.
After the game Pirlo was asked about the decision to remove Ronaldo in the 77th minute and said he felt the need to rest the star of his team, which turns 36 on Friday.
“It’s normal that when you go out in a match like this you want to play to help the team,” said Pirlo Rai Sport.
“There is no contractual clause that says it cannot be suspended. He knows he is a fundamental player for us, but to catch his breath he must always be on top.
“He proved it with his performances after some criticism. He couldn’t 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, now and then a little rest is good for him. ”
After Inter defeated Juve 2-0 in Serie A just two weeks ago, Pirlo was happy to see his team recover against a tough opponent.
“We were not ourselves against Inter in the league, it was a slip, but it was also a valuable lesson and we worked to correct the mistakes made in that game,” added Pirlo.
“This is only the first round, we still haven’t achieved anything. What this proves is that if we are fully focused, it will be difficult for anyone against us. We know our strength.
“It is not easy to maintain that intensity by playing practically every day. I saw a big reaction after going back. “
Before Juventus face Inter in the second leg, they face Roma in Serie A on Saturday.