With Juventus’ second leg of the Champions League Round of 16 game against FC Porto lurking around, Pirlo had to rest some of his important players, and Ronaldo happened to be one.
The Italian coach had to find a way to beat Lazio without one of his lethal weapons, though Ronaldo came in as a substitute on the 69th minute mark, replacing Alvaro Morata, who got the business done with his second half brace.
Juventus are currently trailing 2-1 heading into the second leg and will need another Champions League masterclass from Ronaldo to book a place in the quarterfinals and Del Piero thinks his former team will be stronger against the Portuguese side.
“I didn’t expect their reaction because Juventus have been struggling physically over the last few weeks,” Del Piero told Sky Sport Italia. “It was a smart move by both Pirlo and him. Juventus won without six starters.
“They rested, so they are ready to play now. Lazio had a great start, but Juventus fought back. They were consistent and that’s great news considering their next game against Porto.
“Juventus will need a perfect game. Chiesa’s goal in Portugal turned things around for Juve, but if Porto keep the same intensity of the first leg, it will be hard for the Bianconeri.
“It will be challenging, but they are in a good moment. Juventus had dropped a little, but they seem to have recovered now."
