This archive report was first published on 22 June 2020.
On June 17, 2020, Juventus coach Maurizio Sarri's team was defeated by Napoli in the Coppa Italia final, marking their first game since the COVID-19 pandemic caused a three-month stoppage. The team's performance was marred by Cristiano Ronaldo missing a penalty in the semi-final against AC Milan five days earlier.
Following the Coppa Italia final defeat, La Stampa newspaper suggested that relations between Sarri and midfielder Miralem Pjanic had gone frosty, with Pjanic reportedly set to be benched at Bologna on Monday when Juventus resumed their Serie A campaign.
However, Sarri has rubbished these suggestions, stating, "The story of my row with Pjanic is one of the biggest hoaxes of the season." He added that he has meaningful discussions with Pjanic and that there were no problems with Ronaldo.
Regarding Ronaldo's performance, Sarri said, "I spoke to Cristiano again yesterday, alone and for a long time. He mustn’t lose his confidence, I hope that from tomorrow the fantastic player of old will come back. It’s just that he’s not physically at his best right now."
Sarri also clarified that he had dispensed with the idea of using Ronaldo as a centre forward, stating that Ronaldo has scored 700 goals by starting slightly wide of the centre, which is his preference.
As Juventus look to move on from their Coppa Italia final defeat, Sarri emphasized the need to forget about the loss and focus on the next few games without being influenced by it.
