Manchester United's $35 million Ronaldo problem

3 years ago 278

Paul Pogba had seen enough. So had galore disgruntled Manchester United fans.

"We request to find something. We request to alteration something," an exasperated Pogba said aft United's precocious illness successful a 4-2 nonaccomplishment astatine Leicester successful the Premier League connected Saturday.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer didn't disagree.

"We request to look astatine the full set-up and equilibrium of the team," the United manager said, moments aft Pogba's outburst. "And possibly thing has to give."

It's that clip erstwhile again — it seems to hap connected 2 oregon 3 occasions per play — erstwhile United appears connected the verge of a situation and Solskjaer, a nine large without the managerial resume to spell with it, is called retired arsenic idiosyncratic unfit to beryllium starring England's biggest team.

The plain statistic are United has won 2 of its past 7 games successful each competitions, has dropped to sixth successful the Premier League, and is already retired of the English League Cup. The squad isn't successful past spot successful its Champions League radical lone due to the fact that Cristiano Ronaldo scored a 95th-minute victor against Villarreal past month.

The play is young — United has played lone 11 games — but cardinal issues haven't been fixed: An imbalanced midfield, an onslaught relying connected individualism implicit immoderate coherent plan, sloppiness successful defense.

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There's besides a docket that sees United look its hardest tally of games truthful far. Back-to-back games against Atalanta successful the Champions League — the archetypal is connected Wednesday astatine Old Trafford — travel connected either broadside of Premier League games against Liverpool, Tottenham and Manchester City.

Solskjaer, who has yet to triumph a trophy successful astir 3 years arsenic United's manager, has been present before.

The past clip helium was nether this overmuch vigor was December, aft a nonaccomplishment to Leipzig that eliminated United from the Champions League. Solskjaer's squad didn't suffer immoderate of its adjacent 13 games.

In the 2019-20 season, a 1-0 nonaccomplishment astatine Newcastle successful October extended United's winless tally to 5 games and led to calls for Solskjaer to go. United drew 1-1 against Liverpool the adjacent game, ending its fierce rival's eight-match winning tally to unfastened the league, and past mislaid lone 2 of its adjacent 14 games.

Solskjaer came nether much unit pursuing a 2-0 location nonaccomplishment to Burnley successful precocious January. United's players were jeered by their ain fans, yet responded with a 19-game unbeaten tally successful each competitions.

"We've been done this earlier and travel done stronger arsenic individuals and arsenic a team," Solskjaer said Tuesday. "I'm conscionable looking guardant to the effect now."

Can Solskjaer propulsion done again?

CENTRAL MIDFIELD

This is the section causing United the biggest problem, and the country Solskjaer astir apt regrets not strengthening successful the offseason with a subordinate similar West Ham's Declan Rice.

United has 3 cardinal midfielders — Nemanja Matic, Fred and Scott McTominay — who each person flaws and can't truly beryllium trusted to negociate a crippled connected their ain arsenic the deep-lying anchorman. Matic is excessively immobile, Fred excessively impetuous, and McTominay is excessively all-action to beryllium restricted to conscionable sitting successful beforehand of the defense. A diagnostic of United's games this play is the show of the squad getting counterattacked and the midfield getting easy bypassed.

Fred and McTominay person sometimes played arsenic a brace and that mightiness beryllium what Solskjaer resorts to, giving United much vigor and a amended pressing game. That does, of course, mean Solskjaer has to driblet a big-name subordinate further forward.

POGBA'S POSITION

More than 5 years into his 2nd spell astatine Old Trafford and United inactive hasn't seen the champion of Pogba.

It seems wide helium cannot run arsenic 1 of the 2 deeper-lying midfielders due to the fact that it affects United's pressing game, and Bruno Fernandes seems nailed successful the No. 10 relation down the striker. Pogba might, then, beryllium champion suited playing connected the near wing, wherever helium tin chopped wrong and get person to United's attackers.

But that leaves Solskjaer with conscionable 1 disposable slot — the close helping — for 4 high-profile players: Mason Greenwood, $100 cardinal offseason signing Jadon Sancho, Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial.

Tellingly, United's League Cup elimination deprives Solskjaer of a contention to springiness immoderate perchance dissatisfied players connected the fringe of the squad — similar Martial, Edinson Cavani, Donny van de Beek — immoderate much-needed crippled time.

THE RONALDO PROBLEM

Ronaldo has scored 5 goals successful six starts since returning to United. He is doing his occupation arsenic a scorer — who could person expected otherwise? — but it's however helium is affecting the remainder of the squad that's an underlying issue.

Ronaldo is 36 and his decreased mobility and quality to property from the beforehand arsenic United's cardinal striker looks to beryllium impacting the players down him. The maneuver seems to be: Get the shot to Ronaldo and anticipation for the best. Sometimes that volition enactment — spot his stoppage-time victor against Villarreal, which came from a speculative transverse into the country — but connected galore occasions it won't.

United tin beryllium overran astatine times with Ronaldo arsenic the striker and 3 attacking players down him whose spot isn't tracking back. In that way, helium is simply a solution but besides a problem.

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