It happens, CR is undergoing a painful decline. He refused to come in as a substitute in the ManU premiership league game against Tottenham Hotspur. He has even been banished from his teammates. Some of the things which made him a legend are accelerating his decline.
As the world celebrated his transfer from Juventus to ManU in August 2021, I wrote that CR was not the right player for ManU.
“Ronaldo is a legend. He scored more than 80 goals in Italy in 3 years. But under him Juventus degraded. Before his arrival, Juve was easily winning the league – 9 straight! In Ronaldo’s last session, the Old Lady was 4th. Notice that they made no progress on the Champions League: lost to Ajax in quarterfinals and last 16 to Lyon and Porto. Largely, Juve won only one knockout game with him. Not his fault except that he was in the midst!
“Ronaldo will score many goals at Old Trafford. But scoring goals without creating goals or having others who do, will rarely win the Champions League. He scored many goals in Italy, winning the battle but if you check, he lost the war. I do think that ManU needs a different type of player.”
CR scored goals – 24 goals in all competitions – last season for ManU but ManU won nothing of value or position. CR thrives when teams are built around him: he becomes the operating system and he delivers with clinical finishes. But in the last three years, football is moving away from that style: high-intensity, high-pressing, and high coverage are the new components of the game with the superstar tactical enclave diminishing especially in premiership. From Liverpool to Manchester City, you see a team, not a club, built around any person!
CR belongs to the G.O.A.T (greatest of all time) club but what he needs to thrive is not available in ManU. I expect him to leave in the January transfer window.
Comment 1: Cristiano Ronaldo received great fanfare arriving in Manchester United and deservedly so.
In his first season, he was the club’s top scorer. I find this analysis faulty because it does not align with reality.
Ronaldo gave up a transfer to Manchester City to come to Manchester United. He could have easily taken a cynical decision and probably assured of a medal and trophy in his final playing days. However, he decided to pitch his lot with a struggling club. The manager was having issue and the club ownership and management were determined to made mediocre decisions. Ronaldo was the not only the right player for United at the time but one that give up somethings on his return to the club.
My Response: There is no need for emotion. When I wrote that piece in Aug 2021, you possibly put a similar comment. In a football analysis, we look for hardware. I did not say he was not a nice person to his former club. I did not say he did not turn down offers. I did not say he will not make ManU more money (I wrote that TV rights will rise if you click). I did write that he would score many goals. Yet, I concluded that he was NOT the right person for the club to rise.
Comment 2: You are wrong Sir. Football is an Eleven man game. CR7 is a sticker whose main duty is to score goals and he has been efficient in that, both in Juventus and Manchester united for the past seasons. Yes his performance has declined over the years but to say he is the reason for the team poor results is totally wrong. Since he left Juventus last year, did they win the trophy??.
My Response: When you read my posts, you need to pay attention to all the words. When CR came to ManU, I wrote that he would score MANY goals, but I also noted that he was the wrong person. From your comment – “CR7 is a striker whose main duty is to score goals”- we agree that he can score goals and that he is doing a great job by scoring goals. The confusion in your comment is thinking that I am saying that CR is not a great footballer.
I called him a GOAT and a legend; he is peerless. My focus is not him but his team (ManU) winning anything of value. I said if ManU wants to win, it has to choose a different player because in the league recently, the winning teams run on high-intensity, high-coverage, high-pressing etc which do not work well for CR. This is not that CR is a bad player. This is saying how he plays will not suit ManU in a league which has changed.
What does that mean? CR scored 18 league goals for ManU last year. If you check the top 20 scorers, Man City, Liverpool, etc had many players with at least 10 goals. ManU had no other player except CR in the top 20. While that is not his fault, that is a team problem. Liverpool could be recording about 44 goals from in-20 top scorers. That is how you win modern premiership!
Comment to Response 1: Sir, I see your point. But it is also to be noted that some of this has to do with management problem as points to signing. The club needs not just one person that can score goals or make assist. It needs close to 5. Currently, ManU don’t even players who can average a goal in 2 matches.
Also I want note here that Ten Hag is not doing a good job managing the Ronaldo case. He said he had plans for the team with Ronaldo in it and then in matches he leaves Ronaldo sitting on the bench all through. He even makes him warm up and then does not substitute him. The last match he made him warm up and didn’t even make an attempt to bring him but brought in another player. I hear people saying Ronaldo didn’t want to come on. But Ten Hag didn’t even make the attempt to even bring him after letting him warm up, yet he told the sport world and English media he had plans that featured Ronaldo in it. In all of this, I think it is very disrespectful to treat a man who has made his mark in the round leather game this. Albeit, I am not condoning Ronaldo’s action on Wednesday but he is frustrated at the moment and the manager is the cause of it all.
Comment to Response 2: Let’s make a comparison at the games CR7 started this season and how Manchester United performed or won vs the ones he was on the bench and Manchester United performed or won. The answers are clear and obvious.
Just back track and see for yourself. Age is catching up with him.
I support Manchester United, but I didn’t support CR7’s move last year. I knew the team’s performance would deteriorate because he loves the team built around him and him having all the accolades.
Football style has changed beyond that now.
Ten Hag is trying to build a team that isn’t centered around any individual. You perform well, and you play. You don’t perform well and you’re dropped. Haven’t you noticed Malacia and even ‘almighty Maguire (a whole captain) have been benched until his injuries.
CR7 is getting older and he has to wake up to the reality that he may be able to be at his peak like other times. That means game time would reduce.
Was he not in certain earlier games for 90 minutes? What was his major contribution in those games?
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