Allegri praises Ronaldo for his leadership as Juventus off to best ever Serie A start 

What's the story?

With Juventus now off to the best Serie A start in the club's history, manager Massimiliano Allegri has heaped praise on his star recruit Cristiano Ronaldo for consistently playing a key role in the team's recent exploits.

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The Bianconeri went head-to-head with Cagliari at home in a league fixture on Saturday evening, which saw the table toppers win 3-1. Goals from Paulo Dybala, a Filip Bardaric own goal and Juan Cuadrado provided all three points during a comfortable victory.

While Ronaldo failed to find the target for himself last night, he did grab an assist - his sixth of the season so far - when teeing up Cuadrado after 87 minutes.

The heart of the matter

Allegri's side went into the game unbeaten, having won nine of their opening 10 fixtures. Saturday's victory over Cagliari takes them to ten wins out of eleven.

Juventus' point tally so far this campaign - 31 points after 11 games - is now level with the all-time high for the start of a season in the Serie A. Their current run has equalled the records previously held by both Roma and Napoli. Despite having not scored in this game, Allegri was aware of the influence that Ronaldo had on the team and has credited him for it.

Speaking to Sky Sports (via Calciomercato), the Bianconeri boss said: "Even in Madrid he was a leader, he is an extraordinary player, even when he does not score goals he sets others up like he did for Cuadrado in decisive moments, goals or puts the ball right."

The Portuguese ace currently sits at second place in the Serie A goal-scoring charts, having scored seven goals so far this term. This puts him behind Krzysztof Piatek, who has scored nine for Genoa so far.

What's next?

Juventus sit at the top of the Serie A table and is set to continue their unbeaten run when they face Manchester United in the UEFA Champions League group stage next week, on November 8.