In the preview of the duel against Burnley, the interim manager of Manchester United, Ralf Rangnick, acknowledged that the club’s situation is not very encouraging, and suggested: “If we haven’t won the Premier in the last ten years, it must be for something.” But the coach’s words did not serve to change the negative dynamics of the red devils and yesterday they lost two more points, which leaves them with fifth place in the championship.
United are 18 points behind their neighbors City, out of the championship race, and in doubt. A surprise for those of Old Trafford, who did not expect that at this point their team would be unable to compete with the first swords in the country. Even more so, after the exciting return of Cristiano Ronaldo, who unleashed madness with his first exhibitions, but whose performance has gone from more to less.
The Portuguese star, who turned 37 on February 5, experienced a bittersweet celebration. Yesterday, against Burnley, Rangnick chose Cavani over the former Madrid player and justified it as follows: “Today the match required a lot of sprinting, chasing balls, a lot of fighting for second moves. This fits better the profile of Edinson Cavani”. A vision that left Cristiano in a bad place, increasingly questioned.
With yesterday’s match there are already five games in which he has remained unmarked. Something that had not happened since the 2008-2009 campaign, when he played his first stage with United, as reported by the newspaper A Bola. A bad streak that has been echoed by many tireless and insatiable forums on social networks, which question Cristiano’s role in the Premier League, in which he has scored eight goals and three assists.
a silver bullet
But not all criticism is negative, and many have been United legends who have positioned themselves in favor of the striker. One of the last to speak out about it was Robbie Savage, for whom Ronaldo should always play: “I know he had played 120 minutes in the previous match, but physically he is fantastic and he is a super goalscorer.”
Despite recent disappointments – including elimination from the FA Cup – Cristiano’s United still have one silver bullet left: the Champions League. The Mancunian team will face Atlético de Madrid on February 23 in Madrid, in the first leg of the round of 16, and on March 15, at Old Trafford, to play the second leg. It will be the last chance to lift a title this season for Ronaldo, who has six goals in this edition.
#Christian #singled