Cristiano Ronaldo to be given 'time out' from Juventus

Juventus defeated Sampdoria 3-0 at the Allianz Stadium in Serie A on Sunday. This marked Andrea Pirlo's first match as head coach. Cristiano Ronaldo started the new season with a goal to his name.

Swedish winger Dejan Kulusevski made his debut for Juve and scored the opening goal of the match in the 13th minute. Then, in the 78th minute, it was Leonardo Bonucci who netted the second for Juventus.

Then came the Portuguese superstar's turn in the 88th minute, when he converted Aaron Ramsey's pass into the third goal for his side. Ronaldo had earlier hit the crossbar. The Bianconeri are chasing their 10th successive Scudetto this year.

After his first match in charge, Pirlo admitted that Ronaldo will be rested for some part of this season. The new Juventus boss said that he would attempt to conserve the energy of his star player.

Pirlo was asked about his plans for using Ronaldo during the ongoing season. Understandably, the Portuguese behemoth doesn't like to spend time on the bench. But the 41-year old Italian revealed that the five-time Ballon d'Or winner would be rested at select points during the campaign.

According to Goal, Pirlo said, "We are thinking about [how to use Ronaldo] and talked it over. He's not tired yet, as we just started, but when we come up to less important games, we'll try to give him a rest. He's a very intelligent guy who knows his body very well, so he is aware of when it's time to rest or to step it up. When he will play depends on him."

During his first game as a manager, Pirlo made some surprise decisions. This includes the selection of 20-year-old new-signing Kulusevski; a decision which eventually proved fruitful. On the other hand, loan signing Weston McKennie was played in midfield, while Gianluca Frabotta made his second Serie A appearance.

While explaining the reasons behind selecting his first XI, the Italian legend revealed that the team's preparation for the fresh season was limited. This meant some players were prepared to play better as compared to others.

The Italian government has allowed up to 1,000 fans to attend matches for the first time since March. As a result, there were some spectators present on the stands.

Former Juventus midfielder Pirlo didn't have any senior coaching experience before he replaced Maurizio Sarri in August. He would be happy with the introduction he got on Sunday.