Anyone who said, in 2010, that United would be without winning a title for so long would be a pariah and probably classified as a football illiterate. But after Fergie and the Red Devils parted ways, things haven’t looked good for the Manchester side, and to rub salt on the wound, Guardiola’s City is just terraplaining the Premier League, without a worthy adversary; except Liverpool.
This surprising demise is the result of terrible managerial choices, beginning with Moyes, then Van Gaal, and the brainless sacking of Mourinho, even though he managed to bring silverware to the club for once. Something that was expectable by following the trends and statistics of the games regularly.
This year’s Prime Sin
Sacking good old Ole was not a bad option; he simply couldn’t use the talent at his hands to make a competitive and cohesive team. But replacing a coach for an interim coach, which was not interim, or even a coach, was yet another misguided attempt to band-aid a gangrene wound. With Zidane available, Pochettino hanging on threads at PSG, Laurent Blanc also jobless, they decided to through this season to the gutter for no good reason.
The Second Sin
Ronaldo was aching to leave Juventus, the Red Devils saw him near their rivals, and this is the abridged story of the return of the prodigal son. Except the prodigal son is not the flamboyant dribble that he was when he came from Sporting. No, now he is a player of the 3rd phase of attack, that does little defense or pression, and is basically a target man.
Now, this isn’t a problem in itself. The thing is: Manchester didn’t need a player like Ronaldo. Not with Cavani, Rashford and Sancho. Sure, Ronaldo just manifested a presence in the Champions’ League knockout stage all by himself, but he seems to have the same problem Mourinho has: he doesn’t relate to the new generation of football players.
He said so himself and, although Rangnick, Bruno Fernandes, Phil and Luke seem to love him, the kids simply don’t listen to him. They are trying to make a name for themselves, and not willing to do what Benzema did for Ronaldo at Real Madrid: and this is a pity for the Red Devils, because if Ronaldo was well served, he could still score 30-40 goals a season.
It is a matter of making a team around him, and the younglings don’t seem to bother about that that much.
Salvation?
The obvious redemption arch is a successful Champions’ League, but as it stands it looks like a fever dream for fanatics.
Another option is to accept this season will not provide smiles to fans or owners alike, and it should be used to reconstruct the team, identifying the problems with the squad and whether or not Ronaldo is in for the long run, and adapting to the facts.
In the big shark tank that is the Premier League, Manchester United is closer to Wolverhampton than to Manchester City. Chelsea, Liverpool and City have well-polished projects, great coaches and tactical acuity.
The squad’s issue is something Rangnick is already accessing but, without a great coach, Manchester United will never reach the high standards Sir Alex elevated the club to. A missed shot with Conte is probably a sad memory for the Red Devils, but there’s always a good coach for a good team.
Manchester United can’t afford to make any more mistakes, but should and must define their project and stand proudly in the top-4 of the Premier League.
