Manchester United’s last Premier League game against Newcastle United raised a lot of questions. Two shots on target during a game in which United were overwhelmingly the dominant team has raised concerns about the current ability of our strikers.
Cristiano Ronaldo was number 9 for 70 minutes on Sunday.
With such, can Ronaldo really be of use to Erik ten Hag this season?
United Peoples TV posted on Twitter that United’s style of play suffers when the Portuguese starts.
“The problem that is definitely starting to develop at United is that everyone seems desperate to find Ronaldo and go after him, at the expense of a lot of better decisions/opportunities.
“It’s not Ronaldo’s fault, but there is a definite pattern developing in our construction.”
This has been a sentiment shared by viewers in recent weeks.
Although there were chances in Newcastle’s game, the overall attacking stats were damning. With the Varane – Martinez – Casemiro backline triangle, United were able to advance the ball into midfield with ease.
But it was through the transitions into the final third that the real struggles lay. So given the influx of talk surrounding the Ronaldo situation, is United’s style of play and attacking production suffering with him in the starting eleven?
Taking United’s main playmaker as the first accusation against Ronaldo, Bruno Fernandes’ goal contributions have dropped significantly since his compatriot rejoined the club last year.
Combining his first and a half seasons at Old Trafford, Fernandes produced a goal contribution rate of 0.86 per appearance (1.07 season one; 0.78 season two).
Since Ronaldo was introduced as United’s new focal point last August, Fernandes’ rate has dropped by almost 50%: last season he averaged 0.44 goal contributions per game.
Interestingly, Fernandes has never replicated the fantastic form he produced for Sporting CP or Ole Gunnar Solskær at international level. Playing alongside CR7 for Portugal, Fernandes’ goal contribution rate has been just 0.35 per game since his debut in 2017.
Although Fernandes is rightly seen as United’s creative force, there is a lack of offensive impotence and presence throughout the Premier League midfield this season.
Christian Eriksen has contributed zero goals and just two assists. Scott McTominay is still waiting for his first contribution goal of the Premier League campaign. Fernandes is currently sitting on one goal and one assist.
However, given Ronaldo’s lack of presence in the starting eleven this season, fingers must be pointed squarely at these midfielders and their lack of attacking performance.
Last season under Erik ten Hag, Steven Berghuis finished with 19 goal contributions in 33 appearances, 26 of which came when positioned as a central midfielder. Ryan Gravenberch averaged a contribution every four appearances or so.
So Ten Hag clearly likes his midfielders to play a big role in front of goal. United’s current midfielders have not enjoyed similar success so far.
Fluidity throughout the attacking phase is intrinsic to Ten Hag’s philosophy, which is probably why he wanted a player educated on these principles in Antony.
This fluidity in the transition from build-up play to direct attack is not replicated at Old Trafford. The pressure to find the focal point, United’s legendary number 7, may be weighing heavily on the minds of the other players.
that Ten Hag prefers versatile and dynamic players when it comes to attacking (both midfielders and forwards) and this is demonstrated by his constant benching of Ronaldo. Evidently, Ten Hag does not trust him to perform or grow in his desired advancement system.
When he desperately needed a goal against Manchester City two weeks ago, the Dutchman opted not to bring in a striker who has scored 700 career goals. Fighting for a clinical goal against Newcastle United, Ronaldo was withdrawn with 20 minutes remaining.
People can point to the deployment of Sébastien Haller as a fixed number 9 for Ajax under Ten Hag. The key difference, however, is that Haller complied with the manager’s other demands of him.
Haller averaged more than 18 pressures per 90 minutes. Ronaldo averages seven, placing him in the bottom percentile according to FBRef. Haller also averaged more than double the number of goal creation actions compared to Ronaldo.
Roy Keane stated bluntly on Sky Sports that if one striker scores, the other players will keep their mouths shut. But this rather limited and fixed perspective misses the broader implications that were discussed: Ronaldo is opposed to several aspects of the coaching staff’s philosophies.
Until Ten Hag fixes his midfield and attacking contribution, it should come as no surprise to see his preference for a dynamic forward, which Ronaldo sadly does not fit.
Inadequate departure from midfield coupled with mistrust makes Ronaldo a problem in United’s lineup.
Ronaldo’s personality will always lead him to be demanding and emotional on the pitch. But if the coach wants to play in a different way than Ronaldo thrives, aren’t mixed messages being sent to the other players?
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