Manchester United’s Season So Far (From a Diehard)
The 2021-2022 season began with a lot of hope from Manchester United fans. We were coming off a second-place finish in the league last season, and with the signings of Jadon Sancho, Raphael Varane, and Cristiano Ronaldo, the prospects of a successful campaign were looking quite good. Of course, Chelsea, City, and Liverpool were all going to improve on last season as well but there was a real feeling of a title challenge. Saying that about Man United should be a given. The winningest club in English football shouldn’t be excited by the possibility of a title challenge, it should be an expectation. However, that’s not what’s become of Manchester United over the last eight years since Sir Alex Ferguson left. It has been a roller coaster of different managers, different styles of play, and different types of players.
Cristiano Ronaldo (left) and former manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer: Image by PA Images/Sipa USA via Sports Illustrated
This season has been a dumpster fire to say the least. As I write this, we sit 7th on 32 points. That’s 5 points back of 4th place, a position that seemed almost guaranteed at the beginning of the season. The last 4-5 months have seen Ole Gunnar Solskjaer leave, along with assistant Michael Carrick after a successful brief period as caretaker. Defeats such as 5-0 to Liverpool and 2-0 to Manchester City, both at Old Trafford, epitomize the true difference between the top English clubs and United, despite the exorbitant amounts of money the board has spent on players in recent years. Much has been made of Ole’s reign at Manchester United, and however much I enjoyed the football under him and appreciated him as a person, the results were poor. With the squad he had assembled results should have been better. It was certainly time for him to go, but that did not mean he was the sole issue at the club.
Ralf Rangnick Was the Wrong Hire
Ralf Rangnick, Manchester United interim manager: Image by GETTY via The Sun
The hiring of Ralf Rangnick as interim to complete the season has shown both that he is not the man for the job and that there are issues plaguing Manchester United other than the managerial position. Rangnick has not adapted to the situation he has been given at Manchester United. It is near impossible to come into a squad which was not built on pressing and establish the famed gegenpress mid-season. The fitness levels are not there and without significant breaks its hard for players to adapt to that style. His dead set attitude has caused poor performances and results. Even some of the substitutions and personnel decisions have left me completely dumbfounded. In the 1-1 draw to Newcastle on 12/27, Rangnick ended the game with essentially only one midfielder, Bruno Fernandes, as Nemanja Matic sat in with the center backs. There was 20 minutes with no link between defense and attack.
The players have not perform either but why we decided to go with Rangnick as interim manager is confusing. If he is only going to be here for 6 months in the coaching position, 2 years as a consult, then he shouldn’t be trying to implement a rigorous style that takes months of adjustment. That is not entirely Rangnick’s fault, as that’s the style he’s always played. If he is hired, that’s a signal that the board expects the team to play that way. It is just another example of the board having no clue how to run a successful football club. They are to blame for much of the problems with this season and it stems from the summer window.
The Summer Window Was A Failure
Varane and Sancho were good signings. While neither of them has been terrific this season, its hard to blame them when the entire squad has underperformed and there has been so much turmoil in the managerial position. It’s incredible what stability can do for people and without that it must be hard for the two of them to adjust to a new club. Varane was a must have signing. The defensive partnership of Maguire and Lindelof from last season was not championship level. Lindelof has been very average, and Maguire is extremely prone to massive defensive mistakes.
Jadon Sancho, purchased summer 2021 from Borussia Dortmund: Image by Peter Powell EFE via Marca
Sancho on the other hand, while a good signing, was not a necessary signing. For 75 million, he was not a significant improvement over other wingers on the team such as Martial or Greenwood. Yes, we needed a right winger for the future once Greenwood fully converted to a number 9, but it was not high on the priority list for the summer window.
Number one on everyone’s list for a summer signing should have been a CDM. Every good midfield trio fills three roles, a 6, 8, and 10. Bruno and Pogba were great last season and have clearly proved their worth in the squad. Bruno revolutionized the squad under Ole when he arrived back in January of 2020. The key was to find a number 6 to sit back and link the defense to the attack, while providing a stable rock in front of the center backs. This would allow Pogba to be free from the double pivot. Its why he performs so well for France next to Kante, who handles most of the defensive work while linking the back line to the midfield.
Declan Rice of West Ham United (left): Image by GETTY via The Sun, Wilfred Ndidi of Leicester City (right): Image by Plumb Images/Leicester City FC via Manchester Evening News
There were plenty of possible signings, including two established Premier Leagues players, Wilfred Ndidi and Declan Rice. Both would have been expensive and are why they should’ve been bought before Sancho. The 6 is the most important position on the pitch and the fact we have overlooked it for seasons on end is incredibly frustrating, especially when positions where depth is in abundance have been needlessly added to.
Ronaldo’s Not It
Cristiano Ronaldo, 36: Image by Getty Images via Eurosport
This brings me to my final point, which is on Ronaldo. Cristiano Ronaldo, in my opinion, is the second greatest footballer of all time. He is the greatest player to ever play for Man United. With all of that being said, he should not have been signed over the summer. Ronaldo offers one thing at this stage in his career, and that’s poaching goals. The problem is this style doesn’t fit the current United team. Without the 6 as I mentioned earlier, we cannot dominate the midfield battle or possession against much of the league. It results in most of our goals coming in transition or on counter attacks and at this point in Ronaldo’s career that’s not what he needs. He needs crossing service to get the goals. We also already have Cavani, who essentially fulfils the same job. In the end, Ronaldo’s game time (which is always if he’s fit), takes away from the development of our future number 9, Mason Greenwood. It also forces Bruno Fernandes to play a role he’s not as comfortable with, which is deeper and less of a goal threat. Ronaldo’s presence has completely disrupted this United team and was only signed essentially to keep him away from City. I’m certain, that if Manchester City was not heavily linked with Ronaldo, we would not have signed him.
Looking Up
I would like to end on a positive note but the only thing I can think of is that we are still in the Champions League and the FA Cup. A run in either of them seems very unlikely with current form but the nature of these competitions lends itself to the miraculous. As much as I feel Ronaldo has hindered this team, he specializes in cup competitions and finding that shock winner. Maybe he will prove me wrong and provide a moment of glory for all Manchester United fans to savor, even if it would just veil the true issues this club faces.
