Cristiano Ronaldo and Andrea Pirlo will remain at Juventus, says club vice president Pavel Nedved

Cristiano Ronaldo has been criticized following another disappointing early Champions League exit for Juventus this month; coach Andrea Pirlo did not live up to expectations in his first season in charge in Turin; the pair will stay next season anyway, says Pavel Nedved.

Juventus coach Andrea Pirlo and striker Cristiano Ronaldo will not leave Turin despite a disappointing season, Serie A champions vice president Pavel Nedved said.

Pirlo was surprisingly named Maurizio Sarri’s successor last August despite having no previous managerial experience.

The 41-year-old, who won the World Cup, two Champions League and six Serie A titles before retiring as a player in 2017, has come under fierce criticism recently as Juve’s hopes of securing a tenth consecutive title fade.

Juventus suffered an elimination in the Champions League round of 16 against Porto on March 9, before falling on a burning Sunday against humble Benevento who left them 10 points behind leaders Inter.
“Pirlo is and will be the Juventus coach, this is 100% certain,” Nedved told DAZN. “We committed ourselves to a project with Andrea, knowing that there would be difficulties. We wanted to do better and we did not succeed, but the difficulties were foreseen.

“We are very calm. We are on the path we wanted, on which we will stay. He has all the credentials to become a great coach ”.

Ronaldo has also been criticized following Juve’s European exit and has been the subject of speculation that he could leave at the end of the season.
“For me, Cristiano cannot be touched. He has a contract until June 30, 2022, and will remain. Well, let’s see what happens next, ”Nedved said.

Spain forward and Ronaldo’s Juventus teammate Alvaro Morata said it was “difficult for Ronaldo” not to have reached the Champions League quarter-finals this season.

Juventus were beaten by Porto overall in the Champions League round of 16, meaning they failed to reach the quarter-finals for the second consecutive season. It was the first time in the last 16 years of the competition that both Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have not qualified for the last eight.

“I see him fine, but when you’re used to playing all the quarter-finals of the Champions League and winning it many times it’s difficult for him,” Morata said.

“It is also difficult for me and for the whole club, but we have to focus on the rest of our goals to achieve, the season is not over yet”.