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Solskjaer, Ronaldo named culprits of Manchester United’s current miseries
Manchester United are in desperate need of a change after a poor run of form, and the club’s misfortunes are being blamed on the summer signing of Cristiano Ronaldo.
According to Goal, the 36-year-old Portuguese superstar prefers to stay back and watch the opposing team’s defenders zip the ball through Manchester United’s front line before it ends up in the hands of their best strikers.
It has been a major issue for the Red Devils in recent weeks, as they have failed to win in the English Premier League in their last four matches, with their most recent victory coming against West Ham United on September 19 thanks to heroics from Jesse Lingard.
In their 4-2 loss to Leicester City, their brewing Ronaldo problem reared its ugly head once more.
Instead of rushing back and helping on the defensive end, he practically gave up on plays after the defense intercepted or blocked his scoring attempts during the game.
The goalkeeper’s argument against Ronaldo is that he lacks the sense of urgency to carry out his defensive responsibilities as a forward, which prevents the ball from easily making its way to the midfield.
When he was compared to Chelsea’s Romelu Lukaku, it was discovered that the Manchester United forward had only 17 instances of pressing the ballcarrier, whereas Lukaku had 43.
It is worth noting that these two players are both ranked at the bottom, and the disparity reveals a lot about Manchester United’s problem.
Ronaldo, however, is not the only one to blame.
Manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s lack of foundational tactics has left the club in disarray and with a hazy sense of direction on defense.
Fans and observers alike have been putting pressure on the Norwegian manager as the club continues to struggle, despite having a plethora of world-class talent on the roster and adding Jadon Sancho and Raphael Varane during the summer transfer window.
Manchester United had no business losing to mid-table Leicester City last weekend, but a lack of reliable fallback plans practiced during training haunted the Red Devils in that game.
The loss has exacerbated fan dissatisfaction with Solskjaer, and things aren’t getting any better from here.
Manchester United’s next Premier League opponents will be Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspurs, Manchester City, Watford, Chelsea, and Arsenal.
With the club’s recent performance, there is reason to believe that Watford may spring a surprise on Manchester United, which could be the straw that breaks the camel’s back, leading to the sacking of Solskjaer.
The Red Devils have an opportunity to right the ship when they welcome Atalanta to Old Trafford on Wednesday, for the conclusion of the first leg of the round-robin setup for the UEFA Champions League.
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Solskjaer, Ronaldo named culprits of Manchester United’s current miseries
