I was always against the Ronaldo signing. I was transparent that this wasn't only a question of whether he'd lead us to winning more points, but also reflected my antipathy toward his egocentrism, and also my disquiet about what happened in that Las Vegas hotel room. But I also had purely footballing concerns: about the implications of diverting from our recruitment strategy, about the impact of having a self-centred superstar in the dressing room, and having to rebuild the team's attacking strategies around the incredible abilities and significant limitations of one an undroppable forward.
This is what I wrote last August for the record: https://www.ja606.co.uk/articles/viewArticle/437540. In this post I'll try to objectively look back at what I got right and wrong, and what would be best for the club now in the context of Ronaldo's reported wish to leave.
First: what did I get kind of wrong?
- Ronaldo's brilliance saved us in key matches. Maybe he was solving problems that he in part created, but there were several games where he proved to be a net asset regardless of this dynamic.
- The case against Ronaldo relied on the premise that we had plenty of options without him. In the counterfactual where we didn't sign Ronaldo, actually we might have been stuffed, because our attacking plan relied on getting more from Cavani and Greenw*** rather than assuming Martial and Rashford would surge back into form. In the event, Cavani's injuries saw him barely available, and our most talented youngster in years turned out to be a very bad person.
- In the final phase of the season Ronaldo actually began to show some all-round quality in the build-up phases.
What did I get kind of right?
- Back in August I said "I expect he'll score goals, but I do fear that we won't be better as a team overall." He did score goals (though fewer than Bruno scored the previous season, just two more than Rashford scored, primarily from the left wing, the season before that, and fewer than Zlatan and Lukaku had in their respective best seasons at United) and I think we can all agree that we didn't improve as a team overall. Goals from other sources dried up; the form of other attacking players collapsed; the team was easier to break down than ever.
- I won't claim this was all down to Ronaldo. Players in bad form have some responsibility for their own bad form. However, having him in the team did restrict our ability to press (he was statistically one of the least defensively active forwards in Europe last season) and at the same time limited in our ability to counter-attack: think of the many times we released him around the half-way line and he simply didn't have the legs to finish the chance. He became the centre of gravity of the team, and when he wasn't in world-class goal scoring form (which adds up to quite a lot of matches) he didn't contribute a lot.
- It's impossible to properly assess Ronaldo's impact on the psychology and morale of the dressing room. His defenders argue that he brought an uncompromising demand for excellence which simply exposed the mediocrity around him. But there's at least some evidence in the higher levels of performance from other players before Ronaldo arrived that they regressed in his company, and it certainly didn't transpire, as we hoped, that his example would drive everyone to new heights. We'll probably learn more when players are retired and publish their autobiographies. However, there has been reporting that players' eyebrows were raised at him taking liberties such as going to Portugal for treatment on his lip without first receiving permission. There was the story about him disrupting training by calling a session 'boring'. There were the expected tantrums. Last August I feared his egocentrism would damage the culture Solskjaer was building at United. We started the season thinking that for all Solskjaer's flaws, the culture he built was a success story; by October that culture was broken, as it was in May. In retrospect, perhaps that culture was built on flimsier foundations than we realised, and again Ronaldo can't be completely to blame - but I for one don't think he helped.
What now?
Despite my views on the player, I wouldn't have advocated selling him this summer. Cavani & Greenw*** are out; banking on a Martial renaissance looks a long shot; every other area of the squad needs recruitment. Even with Ronaldo staying we needed a new attacker. But if he wants to leave, that tips the balance. Do we want a player who not only restricts ETH's capacity to play his brand of football and sucks so much attention towards him, but also evidently doesn't want to be there? If we can do a deal (harder because he has apparently left it late to inform the club he loves), let's get rid, free up the wages, and recruit someone who doesn't have as much talent, but does contribute stamina, flexibility and humility.
Ronaldo, retrospectively
posted on 4/7/22
comment by Boudewijn Pahlplatz (U15867)
posted 11 seconds ago
comment by Red Russian (U4715)
posted 1 minute ago
comment by Diafol Coch 77 (U2462)
posted 6 minutes ago
In other news:
https://twitter.com/David_Ornstein/status/1543913048586567680?s=20&t=Eoe9u6u1hb7UE2zWA6EVfQ
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Can he play up front?
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Position reserved for McTominay
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Damn. How could I forget that?
posted on 4/7/22
comment by Red Russian (U4715)
posted 1 hour, 54 minutes ago
comment by whodunnit (U22710)
posted 3 minutes ago
comment by Ji Sung Park's Cousin - It's Beekers! (U2958)
posted 1 minute ago
Who could we get for the forward position? Seems to be a real lack of strikers with City and Pool gobbling up the two big targets.
Calvert-Lewin? Jiminez (big gamble)? Anyone from overseas?
Otherwise, it seems to be that we'll look at getting another forward and rotate the positions. Maybe Dybala or Antony?
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lautaro martinez
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Maybe there are players out there who would be a better fit, but Lautaro is the player who springs to mind as the kind of statement signing that would make replacing Ronaldo look like a smart piece of business.
Osimhen from Napoli could be a good move, I guess, and maybe facilitated by Ronaldo going the other way.
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Osimhen is also a very good shout, he is custom built for premier league
posted on 4/7/22
comment by Diafol Coch 77 (U2462)
posted 2 hours, 23 minutes ago
comment by Boudewijn Pahlplatz (U15867)
posted 11 seconds ago
comment by Red Russian (U4715)
posted 1 minute ago
comment by Diafol Coch 77 (U2462)
posted 6 minutes ago
In other news:
https://twitter.com/David_Ornstein/status/1543913048586567680?s=20&t=Eoe9u6u1hb7UE2zWA6EVfQ
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Can he play up front?
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Position reserved for McTominay
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Damn. How could I forget that?
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Imagine how funny it would be if ETH turned him into a top forward
posted on 4/7/22
comment by Ole dirty Baztard - penited and penandes (U19119)
posted 1 minute ago
comment by Diafol Coch 77 (U2462)
posted 2 hours, 23 minutes ago
comment by Boudewijn Pahlplatz (U15867)
posted 11 seconds ago
comment by Red Russian (U4715)
posted 1 minute ago
comment by Diafol Coch 77 (U2462)
posted 6 minutes ago
In other news:
https://twitter.com/David_Ornstein/status/1543913048586567680?s=20&t=Eoe9u6u1hb7UE2zWA6EVfQ
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Can he play up front?
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Position reserved for McTominay
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Damn. How could I forget that?
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Imagine how funny it would be if ETH turned him into a top forward
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Imagine? We'll be seeing it...
posted on 4/7/22
comment by Red Russian (U4715)
posted 2 hours, 30 minutes ago
comment by Diafol Coch 77 (U2462)
posted 8 minutes ago
comment by Ji Sung Park's Cousin - It's Beekers! (U2958)
posted 11 seconds ago
Who could we get for the forward position? Seems to be a real lack of strikers with City and Pool gobbling up the two big targets.
Calvert-Lewin? Jiminez (big gamble)? Anyone from overseas?
Otherwise, it seems to be that we'll look at getting another forward and rotate the positions. Maybe Dybala or Antony?
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It depends on what ETH wants I suppose.
Does he want an out and out goalscorer or someone who joins in more with the play? Surely there's someone out there, even if not the finished article, who offers work rate, runs the channels, brings others into play?
Left field maybe but swap Ronaldo for Werner?
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Chelsea's inexperienced new owner is taking temporary personal charge of their transfer dealings this summer. If there's a time to try to get them to agree to an inadvisable transaction, it's now! From that point of view, I'd go for Havertz.
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Ha please take him
posted on 4/7/22
You don't like Havertz, Nickasaurus? Is that the general view among your fans? I always enjoy watching him play - I keep telling my kids to watch him as an example of intelligent movement up front.
posted on 4/7/22
Dybala has insane talent but he is just unable to play more than a couple of games consecutively. Shame really but his representatives cost him a new contract at Juve and seems Inter got cold feet cos of his injury jinx.
If someone gets him and he can play 30+ games a year he will be exceptional business but he is a huge gamble.
posted on 4/7/22
Havertz for Ronaldo swap deal is on.
posted on 4/7/22
It’s been worth it because Ole got sacked.
posted on 4/7/22
comment by Red Russian (U4715)
posted 5 hours, 12 minutes ago
You don't like Havertz, Nickasaurus? Is that the general view among your fans? I always enjoy watching him play - I keep telling my kids to watch him as an example of intelligent movement up front.
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I’m not overwhelmed. If he didn’t score the champions league goal he’d be a real let down. Movements good, first touch can be brilliant. But can also be poor, loose, and outmuscled easily. His best attributes are movement and probably aerial ability but some games pass him by. Scored a beautiful goal v Newcastle this year but if not for that would have been one of the worst performances I’ve seen in years at the bridge