Cristiano Ronaldo’s role at Manchester United is set in motion with the arrival of Ralf Rangnick
Cristiano Ronaldo go straight down the tunnel at the end Manchester United1-1 at Chelsea on Sunday without glancing over his shoulder at teammates or supporters who were already chanting his name.
Before Real Madrid and Juventus The forward doesn’t tend to hang around on the pitch when the final whistle blows, but his sharp drop at Stamford Bridge seemed sharper than usual. It was certainly not due to fatigue, as he had only been on for 26 minutes as a substitute scorer Jadon Sancho as a second half substitute.
Perhaps realize that, when the interim manager Ralf Rangnick arrived To take charge at Old Trafford, he may have to get used to the experience he endured at Chelsea on Sunday afternoon.
Unless Rangnick changes its entire approach to the game, United’s tactics and lineups under the new boss will be very similar to those deployed by caretaker-coach Michael Carrick against Thomas’ side. Tuchel: They will be more solid in midfield and the strikers will be expected. Hit high with energy and be the first line of defense at all times. And in that, the problem lies with Ronaldo. He has many things, including an incredible goalscorer, but he doesn’t have the energy, or seem like an appetite, to do the job Rangnick expects of his strikers and Sancho, Marcus Rashford and Bruno Fernandes production on Sunday.
“I think the forward trio, Marcus, Jadon and Bruno, did a great job of knowing when to press and when to release,” Carrick said after the game.
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The big question Rangnick must quickly answer is whether he will compromise his philosophy to accommodate United’s star player or whether Ronaldo must now accept a different role – one that he may not like – as an impactful substitute.
Ronaldo will never be content to spend more time on the bench than he does game time. Despite approaching his 37th birthday in February, he remains one of the most determined and determined footballers in the game. It is simply not his make-up to accept a small role, although before kicking off the game against the Premier League leaders, Carrick has said that Ronaldo has no objection to his sudden demoting.
“I had a nice chat with Cristiano,” Carrick said. “And he’s great.”
With United due to face Arsenal at Old Trafford on Thursday, followed by another home game against Crystal Palace Next Sunday, Ronaldo’s omission against Chelsea could be nothing more than managing the game to ensure that Portugal international is new for those two fixtures.
Had little or no impact in previous recent losses Liverpool and City of Manchester, played an important role in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s dismissal from the position of coach, so it makes sense for Ronaldo to play in front of the European champions. It is not clear whether Carrick or Rangnick made the decision, although Carrick insists that Rangnick was not involved in team selection for the Chelsea game. “That’s not the case, no,” Carrick said.
But despite his failure to make an impact against Liverpool and Man City, Ronaldo remains United’s top scorer by some distance this season. With 10 goals in all competitions, he has more than doubled Fernandes and Mason Greenwood, who is second on the list with four people each.
So planning ahead without Ronaldo would be a gamble for Rangnick. Yes, his work rate is not what the Germans typically demand of his strikers, but his goals have rescued United more than once this season, so if His involvement diminishes under the new coach, someone will have to step up significantly.
When they signed Ronaldo from Juventus in August, there was always the risk of United becoming overly dependent on a player who has scored 799 career goals for club and country. Bringing him back to the club, after he initially left United for Real Madrid in 2009, was seen as an opportunity they couldn’t turn down and it was an endless debate as to whether he Is it beneficial to the team or detrimental.
But Rangnick represents the here and now and Ronaldo will be judged on what he can and cannot do.
When Fabio Capello is in charge England in 2008, he was quick to make it clear that he could not or would not find a place for Michael Owen on his team, even though the striker was only 28 years old and had already scored 41 goals in 88 appearances before being released. appointed as head coach of Capello. . Capello sees Owen as nothing more than a goalscorer and a player unlikely to bring much benefit to the team, beyond his own goals, to justify his inclusion. He picked him up only once, as a replacement, before ignoring him for the rest of his time in charge.
Ronaldo could become Rangnick’s version of Owen at United – a player with a stellar goal record but not by much. And if that proves to be true, Ronaldo’s return to Old Trafford could be short-lived as he did not sign up for a second game at United simply to watch it all unfold. from the bench.
