He's a winner, so you wouldn't expect anything less. He's probably still good for a dozen goals in a CL campaign for a decent team. So who blames him? He's 38 in March so he hasn't got time to see whether the latest Utd project to rekindle former glories will work.
They definitely had a worse season, though. Went from 2nd to 6th, 74 points to 58 and did far worse in the cups, too. Dropped into the Europa both times, but got to the final in 20/21, then got knocked straight out. Only won one domestic cup game too, being eliminated by West Ham and Boro. Can you blame all of that on Ronaldo? I don't think so. Is some of it on him? I think it is.
No defence or midfield might have been contributing factors Maguire had a 'mare, nobody can win the ball or pass it, etc etc etc. The goals he scored were mostly his own work because he got no service. As my old biology teacher said, correlation is not causation. He also said there are no mice in Spitzbergen - and I'm not sure that is true
Last season their plethora of undeserved penalties dried up, previously they were dragged into a false league position by a never ending supply of gifts from the officials.
It's a combination of so many factors. Blaming it all on Ronaldo is typical of a simpleton like Carragher. Others have said "it's a team game"; but this is Manchester United we're talking about, not Burnley. There should be absolutely zero need for a player like Ronaldo to track back and help out more in defensive phases of play - something he was frequently lambasted for by people who evidently hadn't watched much of them all season. Were Van Nistelrooy, Berbatov, Cantona or Van Persie renowned for their defensive work-rate? Of course not, yet all flourished and all were lauded because they were the tips of a vastly more functional iceberg. The bigger issue has been their recruitment in other areas of the team. Vastly overpaid for the likes of Maguire and Fernandes, both of whom have been shown up as nothing more than slightly above average players who need constant help from referees to shine. Bright young talent like Van der Beek and Sancho haven't kicked on and they tried to fix their defensive issues with a player who is almost permanently injured. And paid £37m for the privilege.
Pretty good understand for a rival supporter Your'e wrong about Bruno though, he is top draw but lost the will.
I haven't been overly impressed by him thus far, and I've watched him with a keen interest given we were reportedly so close to signing him. There are plenty of players out there who are "top draw" but don't have the willpower to perform consistently and give 100% effort every time. One of the reasons to Ronaldo's own career longevity is how strong he is in the latter - probably one of the strongest in the history of the game. In players like Pogba, Bruno and Martial you've got great examples of players with incredible talent but almost zero willpower. We've seen our fair share of them here too. Adel Taarabt, Adebayor and more recently Dele Alli and Tanguy Ndombele are just a few examples of incredibly talented players whose attitudes stank - which ultimately at an elite level means they just aren't very good players because the flaws in their mentality will be picked up quickly and exploited relentlessly by elite opposition.
Lost the will sounds like his attitude is all wrong. Surely he should be rolling his sleeves up and doing all he can to help his team?
Ronaldo is 37 and has rarely been injured or missed games for club or country. There’s a lot of miles in those legs. Does anyone expect him to run around the pitch like a 21 year old and still be as effective as he still can be in front of goal?
I’ve yet to hear one Man Utd fan say he did. Funny how it’s only the likes of Carragher and Merson saying it
Tbf I’d be full of despair if I had to play alongside Maguire, Pogba, McTominay and Fred on a weekly basis
In terms of bruno yes Ronaldo has held him back most certainly. Bruno thrived under the main man status he held before big Ronnie walked back in the door with his size 12 ego. I called exactly that when he signed, bruno would suffer because they both have massive egos. And both thrive being the main man. His form since the great one returned says it all. Hes basically thrown a strop everytime it's gone bad this season, before Ronnie he'd get utd points on his own regularly.
Who do they even get to replace Ronaldo if he does get his wish? Haaland and Nunez already been snapped up - and by their two biggest rivals as well . Lewandowski wants Barca. Osimhen maybe? Or take a punt on domestic players like Calvert-Lewin or Toney?
Diego and Treble had a long chat with me about how Maguire and Fred are good players. I ain’t even joking.
Sometimes the more simple reasons are as valid as umpteen hours of analysis by the so called experts.
