[mctrials23]

But there is one thing I would never question, it's his commitment to his job and the fact his attitude towards his job is something a lot of our current players are sorely missing. So yeah if they have a problem with Ronaldo not being all buddy-buddy with them and demanding everyone to give no less than 100% in training and on the pitch, it's them who need a wake-up call and not Ronaldo.

I'm not sure that holds up to much scrutiny. Just because someone is elite level or a level above their current peers or has operated at a much higher level doesn't make their behaviour and actions automatically more valid than those below them. Ronaldos job for years was to be the big dog at RM, put the ball in the back of the net and the whole team was built around that. He wasn't expected to do much else for the team. He wasn't expected to track back or pass to teammates in a better position than himself. Look at how much Benzema has thrived since Ronaldo left.

Giving 100% to the team means that you do what you are damn well told and if thats being the provider or running yourself into the ground for 60 minutes and being substituted then thats what giving 100% to the team currently means. This idea that because a player was historically brilliant means that they are obviously still better than everyone else and should be treated with deference is bizarre. We had years of this with Rooney. He was making a mess of the team because he was slow and unfit at times but he was still behaving like peak Rooney. Wanting the ball all the time. Wanting everything to go through him. Trying hollywood balls and stupid shots when there were better options.

Ronaldo clearly puts a lot of work into himself still but I have no idea how much of that work is for the team and how much is for himself. That is not the body of an elite footballer, thats the body of a vain man who spends a lot of time in the gym. People seem to confuse being in visually brilliant shape with being in the best shape for a given activity. I'm not suggesting for a minute that hes not in great health and shape to play football but if your only target was to maintain your fitness and prevent injury, you wouldn't look like that. Its vanity.

If hes putting in hours and hours a week to keep that body then you can't attribute those hours to "training" or his "work ethic".

 

[SirAF]

I mean, I wouldn’t say he was in the top two players with the name Ronaldo. As much as he has done stats wise (which is unarguably over a career very impressive) with goals he’s rarely produced magic out of nothing. That’s what the greatest of all time do as their bread and butter.

That’s crazy, but this is another discussion all together. The vast majority would disagree with your view here.

 

[NoLogo]

That's not really how psychology works though, if you have a difficult personality in any workplace, it can inhibit certain people, the players are human. I don't question Ronaldo's commitment to being the best he can possibly be. I would question his ability to bring other people along with him.

Even in interviews, he's openly said the individual is key. His view of football is like that of an ultra-capitalist, if every individual fights to be the best they can be in a survival of the fittest game, then we will win the match. It really works and speaks to him on a personal level as a forward, but it doesn't exactly help the success of other players in his team. He will argue that I scored you 2 goals, which gave you a much greater chance of winning the game, because goals win games etc.

That's his opinion and it has worked, especially when he was a better player and at Real Madrid who are 100% set up as a club for that kind of individualistic point of view. Ronaldo and Real were a perfect match. Like in real life though, this isn't really what happens in practice, and to compare an opposite approach, a more socialist view of football would be that everyone works together and sacrifices themselves for the greater good, in order to reach the goal of winning the game. This is closer to how Man City play within a system, where it's full of players like Mahrez and Grealish who are brilliant dribblers, who spend a lot of time in strict positions and doing a role for the team.

Totally agreed, you don't have to be an egotistical manic like Ronaldo to take your job seriously and be 100% committed to your team's success. Ideally we would have recruited the same way City has, players with an exceptionally high work rate and technical ability. I guess what I'm trying to say is, it's not entirely Ronaldo's fault that he is clashing with the other players, there are just too many players who are too damn comfortable in the situation that we are and too fond of their cantina dessert.

 

[Ladron de redcafe]

He’s either the greatest of all time or the second greatest of all time. Doesn’t make any difference to the argument.

He's neither. He's in a tier below the all time greats (the 7 time Balón D'or winner and 6 time golden boot winner, Maradona, and Pelé).

Either way, it's irrelevant given how poorly he's playing.

 

[Red Shorts]

Someone in here asked for a comparison between Ronaldo and Zlatan this season.
Here's their numbers so far this season in their leagues:

Goalscoring + finishing:

Ronaldo (36y): 0,39 non penalty goals per 90 / 0,56 npxG90 - underperforming by 30%
Zlatan (40y): 0,82 non penalty goals per 90 / 0,67 npxG90 - overperforming by 22%

Honorable mentions:
(Bruno (27y): 0,38 non penalty goals per 90 / 0,18 npxG90 - overperforming by 111%)
(Haaland (21y): 1,0 non penalty goals per 90 / 0,68 npxG90 - overperforming by 47%)
(Lewa (33y): 1,1 non penalty goals per 90 / 1,16 npxG90 - underperforming by 5%)
(Benzema (34y): 0,82 non penalty goals per 90 / 0,53 npxG90 - overperforming by 55%)

Actual goalthreat per 90 minutes (npg90+xA):

Ronaldo: 0,39 non penalty goals per 90 + 0,11 expected assists per 90 - 0,5 npg90+xA90
Zlatan: 0,82 non penalty goals per 90 + 0,17 expected assists per 90 - 0,99 npg90+xA90

(Bruno: 0,38 non penalty goals per 90 + 0,30 expected assists per 90 - 0,68 npg90+xA90)
(Haaland: 1,0 non penalty goals per 90 + 0,29 expected assists per 90 - 1,29 npg90+xA90)
(Lewa: 1,1 non penalty goals per 90 + 0,20 expected assists per 90 - 1,30 npg90+xA90)
(Benzema: 0,82 non penalty goals per 90 + 0,24 expected assists per 90 - 1,06 npg90+xA90)

So far this season 40 year old Zlatan has offered double the goalthreat per 90 minutes 36 year old Ronaldo has. His finishing is a lot better and he offers more creativity and directness in his play. Bruno also offer more goalthreat from his offensive midfield position than Ronaldo.
Compared to other old top strikers and the hottest of the new generation his numbers looks, well, judge for yourselves.

Pressing and intercepting:

Ronaldo: 6,39 pressings per 90 / 1,87 successful pressings per 90 / 2,84 pressings in the attacking 3rd per 90 / 0,19 interceptions per 90
Zlatan: 9,08 pressings per 90 / 3,47 successful pressings per 90 / 6,33 pressings in the attacking 3rd per 90 / 0,61 interceptions per 90

(Bruno: 17,04 pressings per 90 / 4,84 successful pressings per 90 / 5,11 pressings in the attacking 3rd per 90 / 1,13 interceptions per 90)
(Haaland: 12,42 pressings per 90 / 3,67 successful pressings per 90 / 8,42 pressings in the attacking 3rd per 90 / 0,33 interceptions per 90)
(Lewa: 8,73 pressings per 90 / 2,98 successful pressings per 90 / 5,69 pressings in the attacking 3rd per 90 / 0,33 interceptions per 90)
(Benzema: 9,23 pressings per 90 / 2,30 successful pressings per 90 / 5,30 pressings in the attacking 3rd per 90 / 0,27 interceptions per 90)

This is painfull reading. The 40 year old puts in more than double shifts for pressing in the attacking 3rd compared to our man....
To be honest Lewa, Benzema and Zlatan presses well below average for forwards today.
Ronaldo's defensive contribution this season is shocking, nothing less.

Should we try to gel in the different constellations of Sancho/Rashford/Greenwood/Elanga/Diallo and let Ronaldo and Cavani chip in now and then?
...or should we invest time in trying to get the soon to be 37 year old back in scoring form?

The five youngsters puts in 2x + pressingnumbers btw.

How similar are the minutes/starts between Zlatan and Ronaldo?

 

[Ladron de redcafe]

That’s crazy, but this is another discussion all together. The vast majority would disagree with your view here.

The vast majority agree with him and disagree with you because the consensus best three ever doesn't include your boy. But as you said, that's a separate discussion.

 

[KeanoMagicHat]

I'm not sure that holds up to much scrutiny. Just because someone is elite level or a level above their current peers or has operated at a much higher level doesn't make their behaviour and actions automatically more valid than those below them.

This, having a superstar ego causes problems in all walks of life and in football. Just look at the peak of the Galacticos team, they won nothing. It didn't matter that they had won everything there was in football between them. Showing off their medals at that point in their career did nothing. They lost the league to Valencia, devoid of stars by comparison, but were hungry for it and a better team that worked for each other.

The vast majority agree with him and disagree with you because the consensus best three ever doesn't include your boy. But as you said, that's a separate discussion.

There's another thread with almost 700 pages for that.

 

[Pogue Mahone]

If you think he’s not “cerebral” then you definitely don’t know football. And that should be that.

Sounds like you have a very different understanding to me of what that word means in a footballing context. He’s never been a remotely cerebral footballer.

 

[SirAF]

He's neither. He's in a tier below the all time greats (the 7 time Balón D'or winner and 6 time golden boot winner, Maradona, and Pelé).

Either way, it's irrelevant given how poorly he's playing.

Ignoring the second most Ballon d’Ors but includes the one with the most. Cool.

 

[NoLogo]

A lot of his technical abilities have gone to shit. First touch, hold up play, beating a man etc. When I played football, I could still have good games when the team was shit. I could tackle as well, dribble as well, pass as well etc. But I guess sunday league football can't be compared. I'm just saying even when the team is shit, you could still do the best you can do.

He isn't as explosive as he used to be anymore, that's true, but I don't think much else has changed, dribbling past people he hasn't done that for at least a decade anymore, hold up play, never his strength either since he moved to the number 9 position and wasn't needed when he was still playing as an inside forward. Imo his strength has always been his jumping ability, getting into good scoring positions, and his mentality and drive to score that goal at all cost. But the rest of his play was never much more than slightly above average if you ask me.

Ronaldo was always very dependent on service from other players, he also always was the player to take by far the most shots. If you had taken that service from him at every other stage of his career as well, he wouldn't have been much better than he is now.

 

[Camara]

No doubt he is underperforming at the moment, thing is I see people asking him to be dropped because he's supposedly hurting the team.
But who are the forwards that are better than him? In this same forum he is the attacker with the best current season rating (6.0), given that 3 forwards can play at the same time who are your best current starting trio that should take his place out?

(I still think Ronaldo is much better playing on the wing, even with his age)

 

[Ladron de redcafe]

If you think he’s not “cerebral” then you definitely don’t know football. And that should be that.

He isn't cerebral by any sense of the world. He's an extremely athletic, and talented player. One of the top 10 ever, and arguably top 5-6. But as Pogue pointed out, he isn't exactly a Teddy Sheringham.

 

[NoLogo]

I'm not sure that holds up to much scrutiny. Just because someone is elite level or a level above their current peers or has operated at a much higher level doesn't make their behaviour and actions automatically more valid than those below them. Ronaldos job for years was to be the big dog at RM, put the ball in the back of the net and the whole team was built around that. He wasn't expected to do much else for the team. He wasn't expected to track back or pass to teammates in a better position than himself. Look at how much Benzema has thrived since Ronaldo left.

Giving 100% to the team means that you do what you are damn well told and if thats being the provider or running yourself into the ground for 60 minutes and being substituted then thats what giving 100% to the team currently means. This idea that because a player was historically brilliant means that they are obviously still better than everyone else and should be treated with deference is bizarre. We had years of this with Rooney. He was making a mess of the team because he was slow and unfit at times but he was still behaving like peak Rooney. Wanting the ball all the time. Wanting everything to go through him. Trying hollywood balls and stupid shots when there were better options.

Ronaldo clearly puts a lot of work into himself still but I have no idea how much of that work is for the team and how much is for himself. That is not the body of an elite footballer, thats the body of a vain man who spends a lot of time in the gym. People seem to confuse being in visually brilliant shape with being in the best shape for a given activity. I'm not suggesting for a minute that hes not in great health and shape to play football but if your only target was to maintain your fitness and prevent injury, you wouldn't look like that. Its vanity.

If hes putting in hours and hours a week to keep that body then you can't attribute those hours to "training" or his "work ethic".

I'd argue that him winning a lot does lend some credence to how he approaches his job, don't you think? You don't win 6 Balon d'Ors because you have a shitty attitude. And that's what I'm mainly criticizing about our current crop of players, that they aren't committed to their job the way Ronaldo is, that they are too happy to take 4th places for the rest of their careers and that they have become too comfortable with where they are and if someone like Ronaldo comes in and demands more they get upset. I guess the point I'm trying to make here is that we don't have enough players with the desire to get back to being the best team in the league, and that Ronaldo being here exposes this.

 

[troylocker]

How similar are the minutes/starts between Zlatan and Ronaldo?

Ronaldo has 15,5 x 90s (15 starts and 2 as sub)
Zlatan has 9,8 x 90s (10 starts and 4 as sub). Started the season with injury and played only 30 minutes total in the first 7 matches this season.

 

[Ladron de redcafe]

I'd argue that him winning a lot does lend some credence to how he approaches his job, don't you think? You don't win 6 Balon d'Ors because you have a shitty attitude. And that's what I'm mainly criticizing about our current crop of players, that they aren't committed to their job the way Ronaldo is, that they are too happy to take 4th places for the rest of their careers and that they have become too comfortable with where they are and if someone like Ronaldo comes in and demands more they get upset. I guess the point I'm trying to make here is that we don't have enough players with the desire to get back to being the best team in the league, and that Ronaldo being here exposes this.

Ronaldo does not have 6 Balón dors. Only Messi (the outright leader with 7) has 6+.

 

[Ladron de redcafe]

Ignoring the second most Ballon d’Ors but includes the one with the most. Cool.

The one with the most is better than the one who doesn't have the most of either. Glad we agree that he isn't close to as good as his contemporary. But as we said, that's for a separate thread.

He isn't performing like a top 200 player ever right now. That's what matters.

 

[NoLogo]

Ronaldo does not have 6 Balón dors. Only Messi (the outright leader with 7) has 6+.

Ah well, it's 5 times, still 5 times more than any of our other players.

On top of that I don't even want to defend Ronaldo, I can't stand the guy, what the hell am I doing here?

 

[Gehrman]

No doubt he is underperforming at the moment, thing is I see people asking him to be dropped because he's supposedly hurting the team.
But who are the forwards that are better than him? In this same forum he is the attacker with the best current season rating (6.0), given that 3 forwards can play at the same time who are your best current starting trio that should take his place out?

(I still think Ronaldo is much better playing on the wing, even with his age)

I dont think he should be dropped he should just be a squad option. Which means accepting being subbed or not starting every gsme etc.

 

[Ladron de redcafe]

Agreed. With his current declining rate I'm fearful to think we're supposed to have him leading our attack the next 18 months. Hope Ralf doesn't think the same.

His body obviously would no longer handle the rigorous demands of the PL. Both on the pitch and the recovery rate. He surely looked much better last match than against Newcastle, Wolves etc. but truth is it still was basically a nothing, below average performance. And he didn't play like for two weeks between his last match and Brentford.

I don't think it's wise to start him next match since it's only three days. He should play maximum once a week now imo. Tbh I don't even want Ralf to start him anymore. He should be used exclusively as a super sub. It'd be the best for both him and United I think.

Aging athletes tend to have a higher opinion nor themsleves than everyone else does. We've seen multiple examples of great basketball players and football players refuse to accept bench roles even as they hit 40 years old, because they believe that they're performing at a better level than they actually are. I doubt Ronaldo would ever accept a bench role. But that's just my opinion.

 

[Gehrman]

He isn't as explosive as he used to be anymore, that's true, but I don't think much else has changed, dribbling past people he hasn't done that for at least a decade anymore, hold up play, never his strength either since he moved to the number 9 position and wasn't needed when he was still playing as an inside forward. Imo his strength has always been his jumping ability, getting into good scoring positions, and his mentality and drive to score that goal at all cost. But the rest of his play was never much more than slightly above average if you ask me.

Ronaldo was always very dependent on service from other players, he also always was the player to take by far the most shots. If you had taken that service from him at every other stage of his career as well, he wouldn't have been much better than he is now.

So he's like an old Inzaghi but with amazing heading ability. No doubt his service ideally should be much better.

 

[IhabX7]

Sounds like you have a very different understanding to me of what that word means in a footballing context. He’s never been a remotely cerebral footballer.

Ludicrous. Such a simplified opinion doesn’t need a response to be honest.

 

[Ladron de redcafe]

Ah well, it's 5 times, still 5 times more than any of our other players.

On top of that I don't even want to defend Ronaldo, I can't stand the guy, what the hell am I doing here?

True. Maybe I was a little pedantic. Having said that, it sounds like the Keane argument in the mid 2000s. Once a player's effect starts to bece detrimental (even if it worked in the past when said player was an all time great), it's natural that a player may need to adjust his attitude.

In a different sport, Michael Jordan in the early 2000s could no longer push his teammates the way he did 10 years earlier because it was no longer an effective way of galvanising his team.

 

[NoLogo]

True. Maybe I was a little pedantic. Having said that, it sounds like the Keane argument in the mid 2000s. Once a player's effect starts to bece detrimental (even if it worked in the past when said player was an all time great), it's natural that a player may need to adjust his attitude.

In a different sport, Michael Jordan in the early 2000s could no longer push his teammates the way he did 10 years earlier because it was no longer an effective way of galvanising his team.

Agreed, it's always difficult if the old guy comes in and says "back in the old days we didn't do dessert at the cantina, and we had no PlayStation in the gym", or whatever young people do these days, yeah I'm old too, that usually doesn't go down well with the new generation of players, I can fully understand it. Judging by the videos I have seen of him in the Juve dressing room, he also lacks a certain diplomacy in telling his teammates they aren't committed enough.

 

[NoLogo]

So he's like an old Inzaghi but with amazing heading ability. No doubt his service ideally should be much better.

The thing is we should have known what we got when buying Ronaldo but then again, it doesn't feel like there was more planing going into buying him but "he will sell a lot of shirts" and SAFs ego of not letting him go to City.

 

[Gehrman]

The thing is we should have known what we got when buying Ronaldo but then again, it doesn't feel like there was more planing going into buying him but "he will sell a lot of shirts" and SAFs ego of not letting him go to City.

I know. Its going to be ancient Ronaldo fc for a couple of seasons unless he asks for a transfer in the summer.

 

[Camara]

I dont think he should be dropped he should just be a squad option. Which means accepting being subbed or not starting every gsme etc.

Of course, he needs to accept being subbed and rotated, in fact that happened in Real Madrid often in the last years.
In any case I don't think his attitude here is anything that damaging despite being obviously wrong, at the end of the day he's one of the most professional players still and surely works a lot in training and he did leave the field without extra problem.
Man Utd players might get annoyed at him but to be honest everyone knows he isn't a "normal" player even if that still doesn't give him the right to do this.

 

[troylocker]

Ah well, it's 5 times, still 5 times more than any of our other players.

On top of that I don't even want to defend Ronaldo, I can't stand the guy, what the hell am I doing here?

I think we can all agree he's won his last B d'or, and his past B d'or isn't relevant to his performances for us now.

Look at the numbers, he's not even among the top 50 finishers in the league this season and makes the solo fewest defensive contributions in the league.
People on here complains about the little service he's getting, but the only player(s) in the league with more shots/chances/npxG90 than him plays for Liverpool. He actually gets the 2nd best service in the entire league, he's just not converting the chances he gets at the rate he should. He has by far the worst npG vs. npxG ratio this season compared to our other attacking and midfield players. (Do I have to explain what that means?)
If you're playing up top for a team that struggles a bit and most of your wins are by 1 goal, you will score some winners. Strange, that.

He acts and talks like he's still top 2 in the world....

It is time to play the youngsters and let Ronaldo make some impact from the bench.

 

[NoLogo]

I think we can all agree he's won his last B d'or, and his past B d'or isn't relevant to his performances for us now.

Look at the numbers, he's not even among the top 50 finishers in the league this season and makes the solo least defensive contributions in the league.
People on here complains about the little service he's getting, but the only player(s) in the league with more shots/chances/npxG90 than him plays for Liverpool. He actually gets the 2nd best service in the entire league, he's just not converting the chances he gets at the rate he should. He has by far the worst npG vs. npxG ratio this season compared to our other attacking and midfield players. (Do I have to explain what that means?)
If you're playing up top for a team that struggles a bit and most of your wins are by 1 goal, you will score some winners. Strange, that.

He acts and talks like he's still top 2 in the world....

It is time to play the youngsters and let Ronaldo make some impact from the bench.

True. Add to that the fact that players like him aren't really a thing anymore in the modern game, forwards who don't press will go extinct, and we have an ancient relic of a player and let's be real buying him was a mistake in the first place, no matter how much a certain faction of the caf dreamed of this for years.

That Ronaldo isn't the most clinical finisher, because he likes to shoot from impossible angles, isn't news to me either. Even back in the days when he was competing with Messi and both scored 40+ league goals in a season, he took about 1/3 more shots than Messi per game. But we all knew that about him and even his ego was known to us, if the board didn't factor all this in and thought the it was a risk worth taking they are even more incompetent than I thought or really only had the financial and marketing aspect in mind.

I still think that Ronaldo brings a mentality and commitment to his craft that a lot of players should take an example from and the desire to be the best and not happy with some 4th place finish, I feel like too many of our players are lacking that attitude and it shows on the pitch.

 

[Nordmore]

Aging athletes tend to have a higher opinion nor themsleves than everyone else does. We've seen multiple examples of great basketball players and football players refuse to accept bench roles even as they hit 40 years old, because they believe that they're performing at a better level than they actually are. I doubt Ronaldo would ever accept a bench role. But that's just my opinion.

That I'd call midlife crisis syndrome.

Agreed he won't accept that but imo our primary concern should be our football and the future of this club not how he feels. If he can't live with that just leave.

 

[L1nk]

 

[Gehrman]

I think we can all agree he's won his last B d'or, and his past B d'or isn't relevant to his performances for us now.

Look at the numbers, he's not even among the top 50 finishers in the league this season and makes the solo fewest defensive contributions in the league.
People on here complains about the little service he's getting, but the only player(s) in the league with more shots/chances/npxG90 than him plays for Liverpool. He actually gets the 2nd best service in the entire league, he's just not converting the chances he gets at the rate he should. He has by far the worst npG vs. npxG ratio this season compared to our other attacking and midfield players. (Do I have to explain what that means?)
If you're playing up top for a team that struggles a bit and most of your wins are by 1 goal, you will score some winners. Strange, that.

He acts and talks like he's still top 2 in the world....

It is time to play the youngsters and let Ronaldo make some impact from the bench.

It's hard to believe that Ronnie gets the 2nd best service in the league whilst watching us. Might still be true.

 

[Lay]

I can see why with Cavani, but Ronaldo seems to talk to the younger players on the pitch. Maybe he’s just saying “only pass to me for fecks sake”

 

[the_cliff]

It's hard to believe that Ronnie gets the 2nd best service in the league whilst watching us. Might still be true.

Because people forget that we actually do create decent chances. Think about his chance missed against Norwich and how he should have really had a hattrick against Burnley.

Tbh people try to find excuses with Ronaldo. Maupey, Vardy, Dennis and Gallagher have more non penalty goals than Ronaldo and look at the teams they play for. You can not say they create more chances than us.

 

[tenpoless]

Even in interviews, he's openly said the individual is key. His view of football is like that of an ultra-capitalist, if every individual fights to be the best they can be in a survival of the fittest game, then we will win the match. It really works and speaks to him on a personal level as a forward, but it doesn't exactly help the success of other players in his team. He will argue that I scored you 2 goals, which gave you a much greater chance of winning the game, because goals win games etc.

If it works for him then these young players should try to follow. But.. a big BUT only if they want to be successful, which I know is a lot to ask for from Manchester United players these days.

 

[KeanoMagicHat]

If it works for him then these young players should try to follow. But.. a big BUT only if they want to be successful, which I know is a lot to ask for from Manchester United players these days.

Team sport doesn't work when everyone is out for themselves though. Greenwood playing in an even more selfish way won't help us win games.

 

[captaincantona]

It’s says a lot about the guy that we are even having this conversation.

It’s very clear that Cavani was appreciated in the camp last season and a huge effort was made to keep him and make the most of the impact he was having in and off the pitch. All reports were that Greenwood in particular was benefiting. However, the lack of joined up thinking from the board and club in general really put the guy in such a difficult spot. Ronaldo’s introduction has arguably had the biggest detrimental effect on Cavanis season. It’s a mark of the man that he has just gotten on with it.

 

[The Plump Poet]

I can see why with Cavani, but Ronaldo seems to talk to the younger players on the pitch. Maybe he’s just saying “only pass to me for fecks sake”

In fairness, he's probably not saying that

If this is true, it could be for many reasons and it's for the team to figure out.

As for Ronaldo's tantrum/display of emotion, people need to be consistent. If you wouldn't accept it from Lingard, it's also unacceptable from Ronaldo. I think it was immature especially given:

1) Ronaldo's interview the week before and

2) You were winning!

Despite that, in the great scheme of things it's not a huge deal. If it was because he was frustrated at his own performance, I'd actually fully sympathise.

 

[KeanoMagicHat]

It’s says a lot about the guy that we are even having this conversation.

It’s very clear that Cavani was appreciated in the camp last season and a huge effort was made to keep him and make the most of the impact he was having in and off the pitch. All reports were that Greenwood in particular was benefiting. However, the lack of joined up thinking from the board and club in general really put the guy in such a difficult spot. Ronaldo’s introduction has arguably had the biggest detrimental effect on Cavanis season. It’s a mark of the man that he has just gotten on with it.

The fact they just stripped him of the number 7 as well, just so they could turn the club's social media channels into a Ronaldo shop for a few weeks was unfortunate. Cavani in his short spell as number 7 is still the best 7 since Cristiano's first spell.

 

[youmeletsfly]

Even in interviews, he's openly said the individual is key. His view of football is like that of an ultra-capitalist, if every individual fights to be the best they can be in a survival of the fittest game, then we will win the match. It really works and speaks to him on a personal level as a forward, but it doesn't exactly help the success of other players in his team. He will argue that I scored you 2 goals, which gave you a much greater chance of winning the game, because goals win games etc.

He didn't really say it the way you're thinking it, especially considering his English is rather bad. You're just talking out of your ass and taking shit out of context about a guy you don't even know. How in the feck do you know it works and "speaks to him on a personal level". You forum weirdos are getting worse day after day, trying to claw onto every god damn thing one of our players says or does.

What about the interviews where he says "We need to be together", how does that work with the shit narrative you're trying to start with this "Even in interviews, he's openly said the individual is key".


People should just call spade a spade, he's mostly useless in our games and that's because of two, very simple reasons:

a. In terms of him: he can't press/dribble anymore so he's rather a -1 if he's not scoring
b. In terms of our team: we're shit at creating chances

I ain't defending him, I think he shouldn't have been brought here at all, but, at least, while he's here, let's try to be objective and not invent shit because it fits our forum story.

 

[youmeletsfly]

The moral of the story: Zlatan is a freak of nature, even more so than Ronaldo.

The moral of the story is that the guy was comparing a guy(CR7) playing in a team that barely creates shit and averages 1.5 GPG(mutd/juventus) with two others that play in teams that usually score well over 2 a game while also elegantly removing the matches played amount to fit the "oh zlatan scored more narrative".

Again, as I mentioned above, I don't want Ronnie here the same way I don't want Rashford here, but these mental gymnastics are becoming a bit irritating, to say the least.