Cristiano Ronaldo lacked sharpness in Coppa Italia final, claims Maurizio Sarri

The final of the 2020 Coppa Italia was played in front of empty stands at the Stadio Olympico in Rome, with Juventus favourites to clinch their record 14th title. But fate had other plans, with contenders Napoli giving them a tough fight and finally claiming the silverware in a penalty-shootout by a 4-2 margin. Juventus coach Maurizio Sarri stated that the team’s star player Cristiano Ronaldo and a few others lacked sharpness going into the title clash.

"He's (Ronaldo) in the same shape as the others, like Paulo Dybala and Douglas Costa, he is lacking the sharpness to do what works best for him. I didn't say much to the players after the game. I was angry and disappointed just like them, so at these moments it's best to stay silent. We'll talk better tomorrow morning,” said Sarri, as reported by RAI.

Paulo Dybala and Danilo missed the first two penalties for Juventus, while Napoli converted their first four to emerge as the champions of the Coppa Italia. Sarri expressed dissatisfaction after the result, saying that the result has been disappointing for the players, club and the fans and went on to say that his team lacked ‘brilliance’ to produce what was required from them in the game.

"There is disappointment for the boys, for the club, for the fans, but this is a particular moment, both for the physical condition and for some important absence. Right now, however, we lack brilliance to make the amount of game produced dangerous and without that brilliance it becomes more difficult to beat the man, which our players are usually used to doing easily, and finding other solutions," added the former Napoli coach. The Old Lady will resume their Serie A campaign next week against Bologna.