Cristiano Ronaldo reportedly has 'special rights' at Juventus, allowing him to decide which games he wants to 'skip' so he can rest.
Juventus have been heavily reliant on Ronaldo, winning just one of the four Serie A matches they have played without him this season.
The Italian giants are currently fourth in the league and sit six points off league leaders AC Milan, having dropped points with five draws from their opening nine games.
Ronaldo has scored eight goals in five league appearances, more than the rest of the squad combined, and they dropped points again in their most recent game without him.
Against newly promoted Benevento, they drew 1-1 and struggled without Ronaldo, who manager Andrea Pirlo claimed Juventus need to learn to win without.
He said: "He [Ronaldo] is a catalyst, when there is a such a strong player, it’s normal for the game to develop on him. It’s not just us addicted to Ronaldo, but it happens sometimes that he’s not there and we need to improve in these matches."
Ronaldo was rested for the game as a precaution and a report from Italian publication Corriere della Sera suggests that Pirlo's 'honeymoon is over'.
The report claims the players are unhappy with his lack of communication and not responding to his tactics, with Paulo Dybala and Dejan Kulusevski named as individuals who are unsure what their role is in the side.
It is also claimed that Ronaldo is able to choose 'which matches to skip' and his absence has highlighted the problems at Juventus.
However, Pirlo has insisted that Ronaldo does not receive any special treatment, saying: "I treat him like I treat all the other players. I’m always available on and off the pitch. It's easy to have a good relationship between humble people.
"I'm like that. I behave with him – a champion – like I do with [Gianluca] Frabotta or [Manolo] Portanova, who are two young players.I do the same things I was used to doing when I was a player."
