And what about Juventus being 8th in the Serie A right now? I guess he is the reason still for their failures?
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In the latest episode of the United Hour Podcast, Nik (@Rood) and Imran (@Annihilate Now!) look forward to a new life under Ruben Amorim. What system will we be playing? What players will impress? and how will it all go? We also say goodbye to Ruud Van Nistelrooy and review United's 3-0 win at home against Leicester City.
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And what about Juventus being 8th in the Serie A right now? I guess he is the reason still for their failures?
Rashford is not very good at pressing but not worse than Ronaldo.
Rashford averages 11.85 pressures per 90' while Ronaldo averages 6.38 in the last 365 days. In the PL Ronaldo averages 2.7 pressures per 90' for United.
The right coach you say. 4 managers in 4 years.
Bringing Ronaldo at this age was a bad move. Say whatever you want, but that's a fact. We have young players and they are not playing together building our future attack. Instead we have an old player who wants to be the main star because his ego it's so big.
Bringing Ronaldo at this age was a bad move. Say whatever you want, but that's a fact. We have young players and they are not playing together building our future attack. Instead we have an old player who wants to be the main star because his ego it's so big.
It's sad Ronny will never get to captain a club side in his career.. either this season or next season he's only here for a short time so why not make him captain he's better at it than Maguire leads by example and Maguire needs to focus on his own game and give it up... When Maguire was sent off who took the armband? Not Ronny but Fernandes.. he's way down the pecking order despite playing for the club the longest (2 spells combined).. so won't even get it for odd games as Maguire and Fernandes play every-minute of every-game and never injured or rested together
Will a new manager send a statement and make Ronaldo his captain? The best and most senior player at the club which is what the captain normally is? He should.. to motivate him more than anything after the last few weeks must've been quite a shock to him..
Commercially would make the club more money and sell more Ronaldo shirts too.. it's win-win!
even bloody Nani is captain of his club side in MLS.. Ronaldo is the only winner at the club.
I'm sure Ronny would relish the opportunity and responsibility.. after winning everything in his career it must be hard to stay hungry.. so giving him the captains armband might get another 10-15% out of him as it's something new that he hasn't done before (for a club side)
I'm sure it would be a masterstroke by any manager to make Ronaldo the captain in terms of motivating him and thus making the team stronger.. whether it's at United or somewhere else (if he doesn't retire after United).
I think people don't understand or appreciate how hard it is to keep a GOAT like Ronaldo motivated who has won everything in the game.. and the disappointment and realisation he will have had of the last few weeks of basically fighting for 4th with the season over in November it will de-motivate anyone especially someone like Ronaldo who has won everything in football already it must be quite a culture shock as that's all new to him as he's won a trophy basically every season of his career.. that's what a good manager does though keeps his best players motivated.
Will a new manager send a statement and make Ronaldo his captain? The best and most senior player at the club which is what the captain normally is? He should.. to motivate him more than anything after the last few weeks must've been quite a shock to him..
Commercially would make the club more money and sell more Ronaldo shirts too.. it's win-win!
even bloody Nani is captain of his club side in MLS.. Ronaldo is the only winner at the club.
I'm sure Ronny would relish the opportunity and responsibility.. after winning everything in his career it must be hard to stay hungry.. so giving him the captains armband might get another 10-15% out of him as it's something new that he hasn't done before (for a club side)
I'm sure it would be a masterstroke by any manager to make Ronaldo the captain in terms of motivating him and thus making the team stronger.. whether it's at United or somewhere else (if he doesn't retire after United).
I think people don't understand or appreciate how hard it is to keep a GOAT like Ronaldo motivated who has won everything in the game.. and the disappointment and realisation he will have had of the last few weeks of basically fighting for 4th with the season over in November it will de-motivate anyone especially someone like Ronaldo who has won everything in football already it must be quite a culture shock as that's all new to him as he's won a trophy basically every season of his career.. that's what a good manager does though keeps his best players motivated.
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Look how we played before Ronaldo came. We were the BETTER TEAM. The opposition had to play low block vs us and everyone here was complaining about our creative ability to break a low block opposition.
Look at us afterwards. Not a single team playing low block vs us anymore and we are playing low block to stop the attack of Watford
It's absolutely incredible - the only thing changed from last season to this season is Ronaldo, but boy his family members blame every single player except him. I'd say the fact that our 2 best players have been Ronaldo and De Gea says alot about what has happened to our team.
He will score today and people will be all over him - but we are a worse team because he is in it. The same that people think De Gea has improved when all that has happened is that he has more to do now like he did when we were managed by Moyes or Van Gaal.
And another ex footballer saying we are a worse team with Ronaldo & I get pointed out for apparently making this stuff up.
Keep scoring Ronaldo - you really have to because the ability for Rashford, Sancho, Greenwood, Cavani, Martial and Bruno to score has gone down a significant level because the team is focusing on getting the best out of a 37 year old version of Ronaldo.
I can't wait when Ronaldo leaves and what will be the excuse for Fernandes, Maguire, Rashford, Greenwood etc then. Maybe people might actually realise they are not good enough. Yes good enough to fight for top 4 but Ronaldo has raised expectations and they are so mentally fragile they can't cope as they are losers not a serial winner like Ronaldo.
Ronaldo's Reputation will be fine. He's already proven himself so has nothing to prove at 37 years age when Wayne Rooney couldn't "hang" with the big boys anymore because he pissed away his career. Atleast Ronaldo has proven he still can.
if the team could actually defend Ronaldo wouldn't be criticised because the team would actually be winning. Last time I checked Ronaldo plays as a striker the opposite end of the pitch so how can he be blamed for a Maguire or Shaw individual mistake. People just need a scapegoat even when it makes no sense and lots of the Worlds top strikers don't press.. the difference is they have functional teams and good managers to compensate.
United played the same last season (they didn't press last team) but got lucky with last minute winners etc from Moments FC and there was no crowds which does have an impact. This season teams have figured United out and they are not as lucky.
Ronaldo's Reputation will be fine. He's already proven himself so has nothing to prove at 37 years age when Wayne Rooney couldn't "hang" with the big boys anymore because he pissed away his career. Atleast Ronaldo has proven he still can.
if the team could actually defend Ronaldo wouldn't be criticised because the team would actually be winning. Last time I checked Ronaldo plays as a striker the opposite end of the pitch so how can he be blamed for a Maguire or Shaw individual mistake. People just need a scapegoat even when it makes no sense and lots of the Worlds top strikers don't press.. the difference is they have functional teams and good managers to compensate.
United played the same last season (they didn't press last team) but got lucky with last minute winners etc from Moments FC and there was no crowds which does have an impact. This season teams have figured United out and they are not as lucky.
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Tbh I don't really fancy a captain who would throw the armband to the ground. And is probably the most selfish player that ever play the game.
"Ronaldo’s 5.14 pressures per 90 minutes is the lowest of any forward in the league. In the attacking third, that figure is 2.36—again the lowest of any forward (by way of comparison, Timo Werner’s figure is 11.9)."
"Last season, United were fifth in the division in attacking-third pressures per 90 minutes; this season, they sit 16th, while making the fewest tackles of any team. So, is Cristiano carrying United or are United carrying Cristiano?"
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.th...ester-united-have-a-cristiano-ronaldo-problem
Not my article, don't read it might hurt.
"Last season, United were fifth in the division in attacking-third pressures per 90 minutes; this season, they sit 16th, while making the fewest tackles of any team. So, is Cristiano carrying United or are United carrying Cristiano?"
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.th...ester-united-have-a-cristiano-ronaldo-problem
Not my article, don't read it might hurt.
United played the same last season but got lucky with last minute winners etc from Moments FC and there was no crowds which does have an impact. This season teams have figured United out and they are not as lucky.
plus Maguire and Shaw could actually defend last season. Ronaldo is made the scapegoat for Maguire and Shaw individual mistakes.. not just theirs but Fernandes loses the ball oh it's Ronaldo's fault etc it's none-stop. Sancho was our most expensive signing of the summer and doesn't get half the criticism Ronaldo does.. it's unfair and not balanced.
if you took Ronaldo out of this team for a few games there wouldn't be a difference. but United without Ronaldo this season would be out of the Champions League and near the relegation zones. Simple as that.
plus Maguire and Shaw could actually defend last season. Ronaldo is made the scapegoat for Maguire and Shaw individual mistakes.. not just theirs but Fernandes loses the ball oh it's Ronaldo's fault etc it's none-stop. Sancho was our most expensive signing of the summer and doesn't get half the criticism Ronaldo does.. it's unfair and not balanced.
if you took Ronaldo out of this team for a few games there wouldn't be a difference. but United without Ronaldo this season would be out of the Champions League and near the relegation zones. Simple as that.
gosh you are obsessed with your hatred for Ronaldo aren't you!? Geez!
Ronaldo is responsible for every other players bad form this season according to you.. maybe just maybe a lot of players like Maguire, Shaw, Bruno etc are all having bad seasons and has nothing to do with Ronaldo who's having to carry the team on his shoulders this season.. but that doesn't fit your Ronaldo hating Agenda does it?
let's see when Ronaldo doesn't play in a game. I guarantee this team won't be better probably worse. What will be your excuse be then!? Ronaldo in the stands over-shadowing the team!? We get it you hate Ronaldo and have an obsessed agenda..
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Check my post above.
Pressing stats last season vs this season.
Anyway, I'd rather talk with people who agree that Ronaldo is a problem (because their is some) - there's no point talking about Ronaldo to his biggest fan base.
We show articles, videos, stats about the change Ronaldo has made here - some say that he is a problem and his fan base just say "no, go do one and shut up" - coming back every time he scores like people doubted his ability to score in the first place.
Anyway Sonya, enjoy his time here!
You literally say that we didn't press as a team but we have gone from the 5th best pressing in our front line to 16th!!!
People are saying we never pressed last year! Why were we the 5th front the front line last season and then 16th now?
I've got a hatred for Ronaldo? it's more that you have an over the top love for Ronaldo that when someone says anything bad about him - it's them hating them, not you overly loving the guy and getting hurt by a conversation.
Why am I the one who hates him? So all these professional ex footballers that say Ronaldo is a problem for United also hate Ronaldo
get lost. They are just speaking about what they think Uniteds problem is, I do the same. There is no hate involved.I'm a Buddhist and hate nothing in this world
see you tonight when he scores.
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just don't reply to him, most people here now are ignoring his irrational comments. he's hellbent on proving Ronaldo is the sole issue.
The way we have gone downhill is not Ronaldo's fault, last season we went behind too many times to count, and every season we have had an awful rough patch were we haven't been able to win. Just this time, we haven't been able to turn it around. No different, but hey ho, it's all Ronaldo's fault.
The team is the same it always was under Ole, with or without Ronaldo (with the exception of his interim run and covid run at the end of 19/20 season).
Irrational hell bent comments!!!
5th best pressing team in the PL from the front line to 16th that is a drop down of 11 teams within 3 months!
And then they avoid answering to that
Beautiful stuff.
People will come and talk to me after he scores saying Ronaldo is carrying United when no one sees (except so many professional footballers) that United are now playing to get the best out of Ronaldo and no one else. Our two best players this season has been Ronaldo and De Gea.
5th best pressing team in the PL from the front line to 16th
that is a drop down of 11 teams within 3 months!And then they avoid answering to that
Beautiful stuff.
People will come and talk to me after he scores saying Ronaldo is carrying United when no one sees (except so many professional footballers) that United are now playing to get the best out of Ronaldo and no one else. Our two best players this season has been Ronaldo and De Gea.
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I can’t wait for him to prove everyone wrong…again.
So basically one player is responsible for such a big drop? Do we have the stats for pressing in the minutes he didn't feature in?Irrational hell bent comments!!!
5th best pressing team in the PL from the front line to 16th
And then they avoid answering to that
Beautiful stuff.
People will come and talk to me after he scores saying Ronaldo is carrying United when no one sees (except so many professional footballers) that United are now playing to get the best out of Ronaldo and no one else. Our two best players this season has been Ronaldo and De Gea.
You mean last year?
Yeah. Stats are here on how our front line pressed last year without Ronaldo (5th best in the league) to now 16th in the league.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.th...ester-united-have-a-cristiano-ronaldo-problem
Listen, Ronaldo is going to score tonight. No one doubts his ability to score, but its how now United are trying to get the best out of Ronaldo whilst everyone nearly everyone has started to have a problem with Greenwood, Bruno, Rashford, Sancho, McFred, Pogba, Shaw, Maguire, Wan Bissaka, Lindelof, Martial, Lingard and so many more for doing shit all.
Basically our two best and only players this season are De Gea - which wasn't the case last season but was the case in every season we were inviting the pressure on to us (we don't press like last years stats so no surprise) and now our main and only chance of scoring - Ronaldo.
We play to get the best out of him and if he doesn't score - everyone nearly everyone on the squad gets blamed except him. That's an amazing showing of love to a player.
Like look at Bruno. He has scored 4 goals in the PL. 3 assists in the PL. He has 5 assists in 4 games in the CL.
He has been a part of 12 United goals this season - but everyone is having a go at him for being shit. Whenever he does something like set up Ronaldo - he hardly gets called out for a good performance but Ronaldo puts the ball in the net and suddenly he is the only good thing in the world and everyone else is shit. When the whole team struggled and we dont score a goal - people still value Ronaldo's performances and protect him from getting any blame for that crap performance whilst everyone else gets called out for being exactly that.
Anyway, hopefully Carrick can use Ronaldo as a LW today or if he is still playing as a striker then he needs a striker partner. Ronaldo is going to score today because he is our only main goalscoring outlet - but playing him in a 433 or 4231 as a lone striker gets the best out of no one except him (Zidane knew this), the opposite choice; playing in a 352 leaves alot of our main players from last year on the bench.
Shhhhh that is a logical argument. You won’t do well using that kind of reasoning in here, there’s a couple of extreme anti Ronaldo posters and then the rest of the world who have watched United regularly (i.e. more than a few months) and didn’t fall for the weird pressing agenda narrative that appeared trying to defend Ole when we never pressed in the first place.
I know what you've posted mate. I'm just curious if you think the team's complete change in this aspect is caused by one player.
We are rebuilding, it was overdue… mostly, our players are learning to make things happen again, instead of waiting for their saviour. That’s the main problem Allegri inherited: too many passive passengers. He is steadying our ship, though, and the trend is upwards, working and thinking as a cohesive unit again.
However, Utd situation is vastly different: the squad is good enough, and still lively in terms of individual contributors… on the contrary, the manager was inadequate. Let’s see if a better manager can sort you out sooner than later.
For someone so keen to label other posters as weird, illogical or extreme, you do seem to come across as all of those things yourself!
I'm assuming they're really pro someone else, and that player isn't getting as much playing time now (rather than anti-Ronaldo per se). Downside of fan forums.
I think it's very weird if you think we were some kind of high press team and then Ronaldo's arrival changed that. I don't know if you do?
I'm pro Greenwood as 9 but I can still quite easily see the value Ronaldo brings. Agreed some seem unable to not be 'right' and their player must start but most just want to see United do well.
You don't watch United on a regular basis or football is simply not the game for you.
https://www.rdftactics.com/post/ole-gunnar-solskjær-tactical-analysis-manchester-united-2020-21
And that would be like.. scoring a goal? Yes, because no one in the team did before. Let's see how far we get with him in the team. At the moment we are a lot worse in the league at least.
But I don’t think anyone has actually said that. It’s certainly not true from memory. But it’s not a binary choice, you can legitimately argue that Utd, whilst never a high press team, have gone from pressing a medium amount to pressing a low amount. Which I think is closer to the truth.
In any case my previous message was a little glib; I do think that your style has changed though since Ronaldo came. Does it explain everything that’s happened this season? Almost certainly not. But does it explain some critical elements of some matches? I’d argue, almost certainly yes.
Ronaldo isn't the biggest problem but he's a one nonetheless.
His goalscoring record in the league hasn't been that good to turn a blind eye to the shortcomings he brings.
His goalscoring record in the league hasn't been that good to turn a blind eye to the shortcomings he brings.
By scoring lots of goals and defining games in big moments as he always has done. By leading by example and lifting teams and by being an example to others on and off the field.
He is one of the greatest players of all time and his movement is still top quality. He will be a massive player for us.
Ole’s chaos was always going to come undone eventually.
No the point is, he was the best player for each of those coaches and was also by far and away the main reason they won the trophies they did. Sarri won 1 of his only 2 trophies EVER in football largley because of Ronaldo in 19/20. Under Allegri, Juve were in record breaking form during the 18/19 season and were on course for the most points ever achieved in a single season in serie A until they took the gas off the pedal in the final games when everything had already been won. There's clearly little research behind anything you're saying. You're just randomly attributing their sackings to Ronaldo's presence in the team. Pirlo and Ole were COMPLETE novices. Sarri won as much as he could've with that Juve squad..ditto Allegri. You literally have no point here.
Sarri during his only season at Juve won Serie A and made it to the final of the Copa Italia - losing to Napoli on penalties. That was about the max potential for that team and squad. In the CL they underperformed but it's Ronaldo's fault even though he almost single-handedly took them through against Lyon? You can make the same point for Allegri's season prior.
IF anything, the teams Ronaldo has played for has let him down massively, not the other way round.
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How is him stropping, throwing his arms around when someone doesn’t pass to him and storming off the pitch when he was part of the team that lost good leadership? Was his performances in those games so majestic as to think he could remove himself from the post-mortem ? Just walk off and say well that’s not my fault? At international level blanking the coach for the world to see? I like the guy and there are bucket loads of things to praise him for...but he is a raging egomaniac. While he is deservedly so in some instances- all I see is a really good finisher who finds space well. A better finisher than Cavani without the energy levels.
He was many things but let’s not conflate that with what he is now. A lethal marksman that should be used carefully- not as a centre point of a rebuild.
There was a huge media push on it - only from a month or two ago. Just google it or youtube it, there's a load of content. This was despite us ranking poorly across all pressing stats and then the Athletic ran their article where it showed Ole was actually statistically worse than Mou when it came to pressing. I don't really think our style did change that much which was an issue in itself because it probably should have done to accommodate him. The biggest difference I think about Ronaldo coming was summed up by another post I saw which pointed out Ole basically created an environment focused on keeping players happy and constantly protecting them (almost the antithesis to Mou) which created a certain level of comfort and then Ronaldo arrived and just said 'What the feck is this' as he only cares about winning.
What on earth is that source, it seems to be a very broad overview with no verifiable stats and ends with a FM tactic??
Your comment doesn't reflect well on you. I understand not everyone sees the same game unfolding before them but just use your eyes and compare us to a team like Leeds, Soton, Pool, City, Chelsea etc. running after the ball isn't an organised press, there has to be a structure in place and usually an overarching idea of funnelling the ball into zones that start a trigger. That's a very basic way of explaining it. United have some very hard working individuals like Bruno, Cavani (when fit), Fred, McT who will always keep respectable scores in departments like PPDA but those stats have no quality control i.e. it is commonly accepted by Opta that it is not a reflection of the quality of a press (for an extreme visualisation, think of how kids play football where they just flock to the ball - technically they are all pressing but it's not organised in any sense of the word).
This was when Opta released their advanced analytics review in 2020 (Source: Opta/SkySports):
Last season no one was pressing as intensely given covid and fixture congestion (I think Villa were the sole team to be higher than usual) and we were 8th in the PL rankings (11% down from 19/20). (Source: Wyscout)
...have you ever heard that song “Stan” by Eminem...now read back your post because if Ronny ever fails to sign your scarf at Old Trafford...I don’t want you taking it badly.
Of course not, he actually zombified a squad built up as a cohesive unit of plucky underdogs, sucking the life out of any other relevant contributor. That may be good for tennis or boxing, not for football or any other team sport.
ps. He is at United now, so any reference to his time at Juve just serves a prejudice about his current value at Utd.
His ego has driven him to have standards, and he is frustrated when those standards aren’t met. I think that’s a good thing in our current position. Someone needs to call it out.
There is no reason why a top coach can’t use him as exactly that and I am excited to see it happen.
He will be a whole lot less frustrated playing with players who actually know what is expected of them.
Wait, so you agree the squad and team was not good enough but Ronaldo was carrying them?
I want to see how this one is defended.
Ronaldo teams perform poorer. Ronaldo leaves Juventus and they are worse. That's because Juventus doesn't have good players. Let me guess, the next argument is going to be Ronaldo was so negative to the team he played in he put them in a state of "shock" -- professional Juventus level footballers no longer know how to play. The #ronaldoEffect
This silly arguments will go silent under a new manager but I doubt they will end. The whole "but he doesn't press" is something Ronnie has heard since the start of his career.
Ronaldo is somewhat part of the problem, but it's brought up by not surrounding him properly.
Our best football last season was with Cavani upfront and Pogba as LF, with Rashford/Greenwood taking turns on the right.
Pogba imbalances our CM pairing, but as LF (with Shaw in his best ever form) both the flank and our midfield were stronger. Ultimately he DOES put himself about and helps build up play.
We essentially dropped Cavani (a hit to our press) and compounded it by dropping Pogba as LF. Also lost the occasional cameos from James. It's no wonder we get run over.
Ronaldo is part of that problem, but can also be part of the solution. What isn't sustainable is Ronaldo + two out of Rashford, Greenwood and Sancho.
Our best football last season was with Cavani upfront and Pogba as LF, with Rashford/Greenwood taking turns on the right.
Pogba imbalances our CM pairing, but as LF (with Shaw in his best ever form) both the flank and our midfield were stronger. Ultimately he DOES put himself about and helps build up play.
We essentially dropped Cavani (a hit to our press) and compounded it by dropping Pogba as LF. Also lost the occasional cameos from James. It's no wonder we get run over.
Ronaldo is part of that problem, but can also be part of the solution. What isn't sustainable is Ronaldo + two out of Rashford, Greenwood and Sancho.
The pressing and participating in play thing it’s true that he didn’t do it in a big way but he did a little when he was younger, you’re talking about a drop from 3/10 to 1/10 in terms of off the ball effort, Ronaldo has stripped his game back so far that he barely beats a man anymore and doesn’t participate in a lot of play.
You can’t say 28 year old Ronaldo or even 33 year old Ronaldo is like 36 going on 37 year old Ronaldo. The overall characteristics are similar but now it’s got to extremes in all those aspects.
You can’t say 28 year old Ronaldo or even 33 year old Ronaldo is like 36 going on 37 year old Ronaldo. The overall characteristics are similar but now it’s got to extremes in all those aspects.
I actually think it could be Fernandes can't be 1 of the 3 behind or has to sit very deep (In a way we haven't seen from him so far), I think based on what I've seen it needs to be 3 from A and 3 from B (below)
A) Cavani, Ronaldo, Martial, Greenwood, Rashford, Sancho, Fernandes & Pogba
B) Fred, Matic, DVDB & Mctominay
We are clearly lacking in the players I have categorized under B
Questions like this are ignored by the anti-Ronaldo lot mate. Made a few links to Juve already and it's funny how things like this slide over their head. A bit like how the only reason why we're still in the CL is because of Ronaldo too.
All the talk about pressing just distracts from the fact he brings so many other problems. It's an issue but not really an insurmountable one, the likes of Messi, Mbappe, Lukaku, Kane don't work spectacularly hard but their teams accept that knowing what they'll get offensively to compensate. The difference is they don't bring a host of structural issues with them while offering close to nothing in possession.
Play Ronaldo up front and he doesn't really link play with his back to goal or make many unselfish runs to drag defenders around and create space for others ala Cavani. He'll also constantly drop deep/wide left to get touches of the ball without adding anything of value in the process so he ends up just standing on the toes of more capable players and leaves no one occupying defenders. This was obvious vs Watford when he was pretty much playing LW to the point Rashford was hooked for Martial at half time so someone could actually play CF. Play Ronaldo on the left and he doesn't offer much creativity, can't beat his man with any sort of regularity and also drifts centrally constantly leaving the wing unoccupied. He'd also force the team to play 3 midfielders in order to mask his lack of defensive work rate.
You could argue all these accommodations would be worth it if he was anywhere close to being the goal scorer he once was but that's not the case anymore. He has 1 goal in his last 7 in the league and that too vs a team whose manager has now been sacked. All things considered he's essentially a negative in every game he doesn't score in, and since he isn't scoring anywhere close to a goal a game that is a massive problem and something the next coach will be burdened with thanks to the club's typical short sightedness.
Play Ronaldo up front and he doesn't really link play with his back to goal or make many unselfish runs to drag defenders around and create space for others ala Cavani. He'll also constantly drop deep/wide left to get touches of the ball without adding anything of value in the process so he ends up just standing on the toes of more capable players and leaves no one occupying defenders. This was obvious vs Watford when he was pretty much playing LW to the point Rashford was hooked for Martial at half time so someone could actually play CF. Play Ronaldo on the left and he doesn't offer much creativity, can't beat his man with any sort of regularity and also drifts centrally constantly leaving the wing unoccupied. He'd also force the team to play 3 midfielders in order to mask his lack of defensive work rate.
You could argue all these accommodations would be worth it if he was anywhere close to being the goal scorer he once was but that's not the case anymore. He has 1 goal in his last 7 in the league and that too vs a team whose manager has now been sacked. All things considered he's essentially a negative in every game he doesn't score in, and since he isn't scoring anywhere close to a goal a game that is a massive problem and something the next coach will be burdened with thanks to the club's typical short sightedness.
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