Thanks for posting the video, Ronaldo score some worldies still, simply amazing for his age.
I kinda agree with you that Ronaldo needs a foil for maximum effectiveness.
But isn't it the same idea we should be doing for the entire team? About maximizing effectiveness using what you have? I dont see it as an issue of having Ronaldo but rather more of us not knowing how to use the squad, Ronaldo is just another symptom. We are simply not using the squad correctly. When we have Sancho, Rashford, Lingard, Fernandes, Martial, Greenwood, Cavani, Ronaldo, Elanga, Shoretire, Amad and occasionally Pogba vying for 2 to 3 forward positions, I think the question shouldn't be Ronaldo suiting our style of play or him not pressing causing issues with the squad.
He may be unplanned and the team may need to adjust to maximize his output, but personally I rather having him than not. I'm also hoping some of the younger players pick up something while he is here.
I'm very happy that C Ronaldo is here. However, I have a feeling that people assume the LW C Ronaldo is the same as the central ST Ronaldo.
This is shown by people who get fustrated by Rashford's inability to stick to the proper ST positions Vs Atalanta - but when heatmaps and videos are showing that the new Striker version of Ronaldo is also playing off at an angle doing the exact same thing as Rashford - no one really complains. He is at an angle that leaves the opposition ball playing defenders and midfielders free if he does not press because he does not even position him centrally most of the time.
Why is that?
Because just as Rooney turned in to a CAM/CM as he got older whilst he was always a striker - Ronaldo is always a LW who has turned in to a central striker doing less and less as he has gotten older.
As simple as it sounds mate - what did you see when we had Sancho, Rashford, Greenwood on the bench and Ronaldo and Cavani starting?
Us as a team trying to get the best out of Ronaldo. That's all it was and it has nothing - absolutely nothing to do with Rashford, Sancho and Greenwood's form or anything.
People saying that we should play a 433 or a 4231 with Ronaldo as a lone striker and inverted forwards like Rashford at LW and Sancho or Greenwood at RW- if it was that easy for him to do it when he was 36, then why didn't clubs do it in his prime? Why was he never a central striker in his prime that was capable of leading the line by himself? Not scoring the goals - but leading the line.
Instead played Benzema passing, pressing or blocking off the lanes. Switch the name with Rooney and its not a made up vision either.
The thing is I'm very happy Ronaldo's here, but I just wish we used him as a player we would use against certain teams or at a certain time when we needed clutch goals that we all know Ronaldo can bring better than anyone else.
Instead here we are with Ronaldo both as our main player and our main attacking tactic for the full 90 mins and beautifully wonderfully acting shocked everytime he scores a clutch goal even though he is our main striker now and nearly everyone looks a shadow of their former selves because we are built towards getting the best out of the GOAT again at the age of 36 in an attacking way but nothing what so ever in a defensive way either.
I was really excited to see Rashford, Greenwood, Sancho in our starting line up this season or some close alternatives. Maybe even some Amad, using some Martial during his last couple months. Watching Bruno be our main goalscorer and assist man like he was last year where he would almost play like a support striker.
For me personally, It would have been good to see that as our Plan A and when that wasn't working see if Ronaldo could make the difference as our Plan B. For me that's two different alternative types of football that could be used in different times to go and compete for a title.
That's not what happened though and Ronaldo is our Plan A and we don't really have a plan B at all. The moment he got put on the subs bench there was an uproar that this cannot simply happen again. We were in control of the match vs Everton when he was on the bench, he came on and we lost all control and what happened- people said Ronaldo shouldn't have been on the bench because he is the main goalscorer and he could have scored more goals.
He has scored 4 goals in the PL so far. 4. People blame every single player and manager except him.
Anyway, I'd have been happy with Ruud Van Nistlerooy wasnt sold and coming off the bench even during our 2008 CL win squad because he can score goals. But putting Ruud Van Nistlerooy in the middle as our main man and having Ronaldo and Rooney as his wingers doesn't seem right to me.
Ronaldo sure is another level, but he was also a LW, not a Central lone Striker either - building the team centrally around him and watching Rashford, Greenwood, Sancho and the others like Amad not being what United is about in 2021 is very disappointing. Its building the team around Ruud in 2008 Instead of Ronaldo and Rooney.
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