Christian dependency? The Portuguese goes several games without scoring and Manchester United is unable to get ahead
By: EFE Updated 09 Feb 2022, 9: 36 AM EST
Cup elimination against a second class team like Middlesbrough , draw against Burnley, bottom of the Premier League, and Cristiano in his worst streak in 12 years. All together for a Manchester United that faces Atlético de Madrid in just two weeks and does not know how to get out of the hole in which it is stuck.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer left, more than two months ago, but the course has changed very little at Old Trafford. Ralf Rangnick arrived, and the famous pressure from him, but the momentum only lasted for a little while against Crystal Palace. “This isn’t real, I’ve barely had a day and a half of training”, said the German coach after the win.
And the team hasn’t left any improvement since then. His 4-2-2-2 didn’t work and he had to go back to 4-2-3-1 with which Solskjaer failed. Since Rangnick’s arrival, United have recorded six wins, four draws and two losses (if the elimination against Middlesbrough is counted as such).
😳 Manchester United couldn’t during their visit to Burnley!
*The Red Devils draw 1-1 and they cannot enter the Top 4 of the Premier.
*Cristiano Ronaldo starts a year with 5 games in a row without a goal for the first time since 2006. pic.twitter.com/N1LfIuflz4
— Out of Play (@ESPN_FDJ) February 8, 2021
He has lost the possibility of a title, with the FA Cup, so They are dangerously close to four years without touching a trophy , and now they only have to fight for fourth place in the Premier and for a Champions League where an Atlético de Madrid comes to them in low hours.
Their situation in the table It is not yet disastrous due to the number of games postponed by covid. Their closest rivals have all but games, which eases the pressure. Arsenal, three points behind, have two fewer games, Tottenham Hotspur, three fewer, and Wolverhamtpon Wanderers, two fewer.
✗ Today they couldn’t beat the last place of the premier.
✗ They are out Champions League zone.
✗ Removed from the FA Cup by a Second Division team.
✗ Removed from the League Cup from their first match.
MANCHESTER UNITED’S SEASON IS A NIGHTMARE. pic.twitter.com/30xW6XHFq5
— Undefeated (@InvictosSomos) February 8, 2022
This moment of need is joined by a faded Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese was not even a starter against Burnley and could not fix the mess with the 09 final minutes. Does not see a door from the 30 December and has since played five games, including a full extra time against Middlesbrough, as well as missing two more games due to injury.
This is his worst streak since 2010, when he was a member of Real Madrid and could not score against Málaga, Mallorca, Osasuna, Ajax Amsterdam and Real Society. Of course, that season he reached 34 goals in all competitions. This year adds 14 between Premier and Champions.
Cristiano’s contribution becomes more decisive now than in the first part of the campaign because Anthony Martial is no longer there , on loan to Sevilla, or Mason Greenwood, separated for the alleged abuse of his partner. Edinson Cavani, at his 34 years, has only been two goals this season, while Marcus Rashford has five. Bruno Fernandes, the star of the last two seasons, has been overshadowed by Cristiano and his seven goals are not enough to lift United’s flight.
Jadon Sancho, the big payout, is stalled and won’t start. His numbers on goal are very poor (three goals), but his contribution in terms of assists is especially worrying because the best passer in the Bundesliga the last two seasons has not yet given one this year.
The team continues to limp in the middle, with Scott McTominay and Fred as symbols of the errors of sports management in the past, although with the good news that Paul Pogba has returned, who, yes, only has five months left on his contract.
The other ray of hope is David de Gea, who has recovered his best version, being the Premier goalkeeper with the most saves (86, 20 more than the second), but the insecurity of the defense prevents him from fighting for the Gold Glove of the competition. The Spaniard has only kept his door clean four times, for Ederson’s thirteen.
And it is that Harry Maguire does not show the 80 millions that it cost and Raphael Varane is not the standard that he was in Real Madrid of the three Champions.
United’s drama is growing and the time before the tie against Atlético runs out. Passing the round is mandatory to not have the fans on top already in March, but right now this team is not very excited.
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