Cristiano Ronaldo, Juventus Lose 2-0 to AS Roma in Serie A

Cristiano Ronaldo's Juventus couldn't get past AS Roma during Sunday's Serie A action, losing 2-0 at the Stadio Olimpico. Alessandro Florenzi and Edin Dzeko got the goals.  

The two teams were evenly matched throughout the contest, and both had their chances in the first half. Antonio Mirante produced excellent saves to deny Paulo Dybala and Juan Cuadrado, while Lorenzo Pellegrini hit the post.

Things slowed down in the second half, although Ronaldo had a goal ruled out for offside.

It was Florenzi who found the breakthrough after 79 minutes, however, setting up a clever passing move with Dzeko before lifting the ball past Wojciech Szczesny. Juventus seemed to check out after conceding, and Dzeko doubled the lead late.

The defending champions have already locked up the title, while Roma remain in contention for a spot in Europe.

The win moves them into a tie with AC Milan for fifth place, three points behind third-placed Atalanta and one behind fourth-placed Inter Milan, with two matches left to play.

Stagnant Allegri Has to Go

Juventus clinched the Serie A title with a 2-1 win over rivals Fiorentina on April 20, bagging their eighth national championship in a row. It was a remarkable achievement, but the 2018-19 season will nonetheless go down as something of a failure because of a lack of success in both the UEFA Champions League and Coppa Italia.

Rumours regarding manager Massimiliano Allegri's future have been swirling for months now, and they're only growing stronger as summer approaches. According to ANSA (h/t Football Italia), Juventus remain adamant he's not going anywhere, but the former Milan boss has done little to secure his position for next season since winning the title.

Juventus may have debuted their kit for next season, but the squad that started Sunday's contest looked awfully familiar:

With younger players like Rodrigo Bentancur, Hans Nicolussi Caviglia, Matheus Pereira and Grigoris Kastanos available, Allegri still opted for the same faces we've seen all season, despite nothing riding on this match. Rather than giving these youngsters vital minutes to help their development, he used the exact same formula he has all season.

Among the starters were Martin Caceres, who will be a free agent in a matter of weeks; handing him these valuable minutes ahead of a youngster is pointless. Fans have little to look forward to in these last weeks of the season, and calls to watch some of the academy players―especially Caviglia, who is regarded as a huge talent―have fallen on deaf ears too often:

Juventus didn't play bad against Roma, but the same old issues popped up yet again. Paulo Dybala continues to struggle alongside Ronaldo, and the Bianconeri are too reliant on the striker.

Allegri wasted a great chance to experiment against Roma and try to find a solution to these problems heading into next season. Instead, he treaded water once again, hoping the individual quality of his players could see him past the Giallorossi. It has worked in Serie A all season but cost them in Europe, and the Bianconeri seemingly haven't learned their lesson.

Allegri has achieved wonderful things at the club, winning Serie A five times. However, the champions have stagnated, and he doesn't seem to realise. Juventus can't go on like this, and it's time to say goodbye.

What's Next?

Juventus will host Atalanta on Sunday, while Roma visit Sassuolo on Saturday.