The big talking point of the summer so far in Europe has been the move of Cristiano Ronaldo to Juventus. The Italian giants won the Serie A title by four points last season, and look in an even better position to lift the Serie A title once more. Teams behind them will hope for Juve to faulter, but it looks highly unlikely they will do so and they will be able to challenge on both the domestic and European stages.

Although now a 33 year old, Ronaldo instantly adds a huge amount of quality to the Juventus line up and is immediately installed as the best player in the league. It is in Juve’s best interests to look after him, although with how fit he is it would be no surprise to see him play on for another four or five years at a good level. We may see Ronaldo rested from time to time, especially after big Champions League games and towards the end of the season when the Serie A title looks to be wrapped up.

The deal to bring Ronaldo to Italy cost Juventus a lot of more, especially when you consider he is now in his 30s. The big money deals like that are often reserved for young players who have a decade left in them. This means that pressure will be on Ronaldo to help Juventus succeed over the next two or three years, and he probably needs to bring more than just a league title to the club. They could have won the title this season without him, and with that in mind he probably needs to bring even more to the table to show his worth.

Best of the Rest in Serie A Title Race

The biggest dangers to Juventus this season appear to be Napoli, who ran them close last season. They finished just four points behind Juventus during the 2017/18 campaign and it was only through a lack of big game experience that Napoli failed to get over the line. They are a young, fresh team and should improve further, although Juventus have taken a big step forwards themselves over the summer.

What Napoli will be looking to do is finish second in the Serie A title race, and stamp their authority on those below them. They finished 14 points ahead of Inter Milan and Lazio last season, who filled the 3rd and 4th spots and that will be the aim again this season. It won’t be easy for them, a lot of things went right last season but they are good to watch and impressive when on the ball, so it would be no surprise to see them grab a clear second this season.

Ronaldo vs Icardi for Top Scorer Award

There is no doubt that Ronaldo will want to show his class and stamp his authority on Serie A when he takes to the field for Juventus. He is likely to be involved in pretty much everything they create going forward and with that in mind, he looks likely to score a lot of goals. The top scorer award is somethig he will have in his sights, although he won’t have it all his own way when it comes to this award.

Mauro Icardi tied with Ciro Immobile for the award last season, scoring 29 goals each and with Icardi moving into his prime he looks to be the main challenger to the title. It would be no surprise to see him score 30 goals this season and if he does, that is highly likely to be the number Ronaldo will have to beat.

The advantage for Icardi is that he can handle many games, so Inter Milan won’t feel the need to rest him after European nights. Ronaldo on the other hand may be rested by Juventus if they feel they can win a game without him. They have paid a lot of money to secure his signature, and have to look after him as best as they can. That looks likely to give Icardit he slight edge when it comes to the top scorer award, but Cristiano won’t go down without a fight, giving us an intriguin and exciting battle to watch throughout the full season.

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