Fabio Capello on Cristiano Ronaldo Form: Hasn't Dribbled Past Anyone for 3 Years

Cristiano Ronaldo has lost the ability to dribble past players, according to former Juventus player and manager Fabio Capello.

Ronaldo was substituted for the second game running by Juve manager Maurizio Sarri in Sunday's 1-0 home win over AC Milan, and although he has been struggling for fitness recently, the Portuguese superstar did not look happy about it:

His 55th-minute replacement, Paulo Dybala, went on to score the winner 13 minutes from time, which put Juve back at the top of Serie A:

Per Sky Sport Italia (h/t Josh Thomas of Goal), Capello was unimpressed with Ronaldo's reaction to being hooked, and he questioned the 34-year-old's current effectiveness on the pitch:

"I didn't like this, it wasn't nice. He must be a champion even when he comes off the pitch. The truth is that Cristiano Ronaldo hasn't dribbled [past] an opponent for three years. I did the La Liga commentary when he usually took the double step and left you there.

"Inside him is a super-champion, the best of all, but now there is Dybala and Douglas Costa, who made two sensational goals. Dybala in excellent condition, can make the difference, as can Douglas Costa. They win games without Ronaldo. Juve seemed dependent on him. Instead, the great squad and the quality of the players helps them win anyway. 

"Bravo Sarri, who had the courage to take him off. It takes personality, especially thinking that all the players in the squad can play and make a difference. Cristiano did it for a while, but now it's not him and he must recover—especially on a physical level. He does not have the speed and dynamism he has shown at other times."

Sarri also indicated after the match that Ronaldo was struggling with an injury.

Per Thomas, he said he had no issue with his star player's annoyance at having to come off:

"We must thank Ronaldo, because he made a sacrifice to be there at all tonight in a difficult situation. He did everything possible to play, but I saw he was not well and thought it best to take him off. It's only natural a player is going to be irritated to leave the pitch, especially when he worked so hard to be there." 

Sarri continued (h/t Football Italia): "It is affecting his performances and he is not at his best at the moment. All players who are trying to give their best will have at least five minutes of being annoyed when they are substituted, but a coach would in general be much more worried if he didn’t seem upset."

Ronaldo signed for Juve from Real Madrid for £100 million in July 2018:

In his first season with the club, he helped the Old Lady claim their eighth consecutive Italian title and won Serie A's Most Valuable Player award.

Ronaldo's tally of 21 league goals in 2018-19, though, was his worst return in a top-flight campaign since his final season with Manchester United in 2008-09, when he netted 18 goals.

In each of his nine seasons with Real, he never failed to reach the 25-goal mark in La Liga, and in six of those campaigns, he made it into the 30s and 40s. 

So far in 2019-20, the Portugal captain has five goals in 10 Serie A appearances.

That is a decent, if unspectacular, return, but it is becoming apparent that Juve can win without him.

Given Ronaldo is now well into his 30s, it should not be a big surprise he cannot produce the remarkable consistency he was once capable of.

Sarri will know, though, that he can still be a huge asset for Juventus this season as they aim to win Serie A and the UEFA Champions League.

Most crucially, especially given his age, Ronaldo cannot play when he is not 100 per cent fit, and taking him off against Milan could well pay dividends in the long run.