Rangnick & Ronaldo

[El Jefe]

Feck me, you really don't know anything about Rangnick. He is the Boss now for this squad, he won't fall in line, he will lead and define the line.

And he will still be influencing the clubs strategy when Ronaldo is gone.

You missed out the most important word, RR is the interim boss. His immediate job as first team coach is to get this team performing well again as soon as possible and he'll need his best player to do that.

It's one thing being the main man at Hoffenhiem or RB Leipzig coaching players with very little footing in the game. The power that Ronaldo wields in this game is like no other.

This is all a moot point anyway because Ronaldo will do what he needs to do which is score goals so his starts will be merited, the question marks should be for other players in the team.

 

[A Civilized Reader]

Cristiano Ronaldo:
- has received five Ballon d'Or/FIFA Ballon d'Or awards
- holds the record for most goals and assists in the UEFA Champions League
- has scored a record 799 senior career goals for club and country
- has won 32 senior trophies in his career
- has won over 300 trophies and medals by January 2021
- has played and become champion in four different leagues

In short, yes, I think he can fit into Mr. Rangnick's system... easily.

 

[11101]

I don't think it will be a major problem. Rangnick will know that the most important and difficult thing is putting the ball in the net, and he's got the best in the history of the game at his disposal. The other 10 players (and yes i include Mr.Glued-to-the-goalline in that) will make some sacrifices to their game to get the best out of the team. Players in all the top teams in the world do that to some extent. Madrid did it 3 times in a row with this exact player in their ranks.

It might be a shock for some of our players to get used to not doing what they want all the time, you can only do that when you have poor coaching and rely on individuals, as we did for so long under Ole.

 

[pcaming]

Ronaldo is one of the most professional players I've ever seen. They will work together and come up with something that works, I have no doubt.

 

[stefan92]

You missed out the most important word, RR is the interim boss.

Did you miss that Rangnick will come in for 2.5 years and only act as interim manager at the beginning of this?

 

[Hansi Fick]

Sounds like we should develop some kind of screwball crime-solving duo show with those two.

 

[RedCurry]

It’s mutually beneficial for them to make the best of it. They should be fine.

 

[Zoo]

The higher up the pitch you win the ball the closer you are to the opponents goal. Ronaldo and Rangnick are smart. He's 36 though so will have to be managed whoever the manager is.

 

[Strelok]

Ronaldo does not nor should care about a dude with a 6-month contract. But he will be a professional and do what's asked of him?

Rangnick also does not nor should care about any player in particular. He'll leave the head coach position in 6 months anyway. It's not like he'd need results nor keeping the players happy to get a permanent contract.

 

[Lewnited]

1. With a good offensive system Ronaldo could still bag you around 40 goals, I think will be well aware of that
2. We don't need Ronaldo to press like a madman like we sometimes see with Bruno. All we need is him to position himself intelligently and cut off a passing lane in while the other 9 players do roughly the same. If it were Troy Deeney we we're talking about we may have a problem, but Ronaldo will be fine.

 

[Alvaro Maestre]

Some fans just look for the silliest angles to try to blame something on Ronaldo. Go back to your cave.

 

[romufc]

Ronaldo does not nor should care about a dude with a 6-month contract. But he will be a professional and do what's asked of him?

erm... this sort of thinking from the players will be the reason they do not succeed.

Ronaldo luckily has elite mentality and will care for various reasons:

1. He is a winner, he isn't getting younger, he wants trophies
2. Ronaldo is hungry, he wants goals, he wants records.
3. He is a professional player
4. Rangnick may only be manager for 6 months but he goes above that and will be in charge of re-structuring the football side of things. Which means its his philosophy of football we will look to play, his type of manager. If the player isn't good enough for Rangnick, he will not be there for the next manager.

 

[L1nk]

Rangnick carried Raul in his Schalke system utilizing the press, and he was less mobile then than Ronaldo is now, it will be fine.

 

[Adisa]

I don't know where this idea that Ronaldo is difficult to manage comes from.
In 20 years, Ronaldo has fallen out with only one coach(a complete twat). Even then, he still gave everything he had.

 

[sullydnl]

In any team that wants to press aggressively, Ronaldo is a problem. He is quite literally one of the worst attackers in this regard. But problems have solutions. Solskjaer wasn't able to find one, but that doesn't mean Rangnick can't.

Pressing isn't just about everyone running at the ball like maniacs after all, it's about where you position yourself too. To a certain extent it may well be possible to hide Ronaldo within the system by having him to do less hard running than the others and instead focus on taking up the right positions to force the opposition into certain areas. Obviously he brings more limitations than a more press-friendly striker but it could be that you can get a press to function well enough around him that his goalscoring ability justifies the trade-off.

But if it doesn't work, fine, bench Ronaldo. He's a short term player anyway and if he doesn't fit then he doesn't fit. He doesn't have a god-given right to play if he can't adjust.

 

[matherto]

Ronaldo will be very happy with Rangnick IMO. Rangnick's football is all about getting the ball forward fast, which Ronaldo thrives off of.

Off the ball, Ronaldo has no problem making an effort. He has been actually doing so. In some of our Champions League games, especially, he's been the one making the most effort to close down opposition defenders. The idea that Ronaldo just sits in the middle of the field like a meditating monk is just not what we're seeing.

What Ronaldo clearly resents is going on solo dashes without any tactics or coordination behind it. Pressing isn't just about running around. It takes the team moving in well set patterns so players are close together, not stretched out trying to do it all alone.

Absolutely agreed with this and especially the bolded bit in particular. He was charging round like a bull in a china shop against Villarreal at home during the last 25 mins or so doing more work than anyone else. He’s a winner. If he sees a direct route to winning and scoring goals he’ll do exactly as asked.

 

[GlasgowCeltic]

Ronaldo is one of the most professional players I've ever seen. They will work together and come up with something that works, I have no doubt.

Agree, more interested in whether Rashford and Greenwood feel like waking up and putting a shift in once in a while

 

[Kamau77]

Matic - Varane - Wan bissaka

 

[bakalhau]

Maybe I’m imagining it, but Ronaldo’s workrate seems to have increased considerably in the last few games. Maybe he needed time to adjust to the PL.

The notion that he’s just some selfish goal-hanging prima donna seems pretty wide of the mark. If anything, playing in a more organised system may enable him to run less rather than more, as he won’t be having to drop deep.

I have to agree with this. I haven't seen him work this hard or try and help this much in pressing/defensive for such a long run of games since... well, ever.

 

[edcunited1878]

This is a non-issue, ffs.

You don't run around all game closing down space and players. Positional intelligence and working smart is the key to it all. If everyone does their job together, then it will work more times than not.

Ronaldo has already shown he will track back, press, etc. And when you play a higher defensive line and more compact, the size of the pitch and areas you are closing down becomes smaller...so you close down more, but smaller areas.

 

[MrBest]

If RR comes in and delivers the goods abd has dropped Ronaldo, where is the issue?

Saying that, RR will use Ronaldo, this guy has the best anticipation from a player that I have ever seen. He's also as fit and as fast as someone 10 years younger than him. There's a place for him, however RR decides to do it.

 

[lex talionis]

Ronaldo will be very happy with Rangnick IMO. Rangnick's football is all about getting the ball forward fast, which Ronaldo thrives off of.

Off the ball, Ronaldo has no problem making an effort. He has been actually doing so. In some of our Champions League games, especially, he's been the one making the most effort to close down opposition defenders. The idea that Ronaldo just sits in the middle of the field like a meditating monk is just not what we're seeing.

What Ronaldo clearly resents is going on solo dashes without any tactics or coordination behind it. Pressing isn't just about running around. It takes the team moving in well set patterns so players are close together, not stretched out trying to do it all alone.

This.

I was just about bold the most important points, but then I realized the entire post consisted of important points so I left it all unbolded.

 

[Maluco]

Ronaldo’s off the ball movement is as good as it gets. He won’t have an issue adjusting and doing what is asked of him. His intelligence already has him in the right places at the right times.

I think Pogba won’t start though to give a platform for forward players from midfield and allow us to play Sancho and Rashford for that pace and energy going forward.

 

[Hughie77]

There was a video I watched earlier, dont remember the link but he talked about what really matters is the manager has to know the system he plays, knows how to get the players to implement it and that it doesnt matter if its the style of Klopp or Guardiola. So I think he will try to get the best of whats available and that includes Ronaldo. He just needs to figure out how to make it work. A pressing team doesnt necessarily mean all 10 players must press all game.

Agree, if he plays with a 3 or a 2 up top, all don't have to press just the players at the same time. Ie Fred on Tuesday only he went to press the ball others kept there positions. Leading to a goal. I think this ronny thing is grasping at straws and looking for problems before or if it's going happen.

 

[Revaulx]

I have to agree with this. I haven't seen him work this hard or try and help this much in pressing/defensive for such a long run of games since... well, ever.

Glad it’s not just me

 

[Mockney]

My impression is that “Ronaldo is a huge issue/we’re shit because he destabilises everything” has been a favourite go-to clever clogs argument of certain journalists and pundits from the second he arrived, and Rangnick is just another reason to wheel it out again… I don’t think it’ll be nearly as much of an issue, and it’s more than likely that Ronaldo and utilising him would’ve been discussed in the interview process for a 6 month interim position considering his importance to us as a brand, his age, and the fact we only re-signed him in the summer.

However prudent it is to plan for a dynamic young pressing game long term… this is still Manchester United PLC. Do you really think they hired someone for 6 months knowing full well he’d immediately sideline our top scorer and biggest commercial asset? Yeeeaaah, no.

it’ll be fine. His Schalke side had a 34 yo Raul in it FFS.

 

[stepic]

Rangnick was asked 2016 whether he would rather sign Ronaldo or Messi for RB Leipzig.

His answer was neither of them, because they are too old.
The RB clubs have it had a policy to sign only players younger than 25 years it even younger.

well he doesn’t need to sign them, he’s already got one of them

 

[RedDribble]

Whether Ronaldo will do good depends on Ronaldo.
Doing pressing is about discipline and hard work so there are no talent gap for Ronaldo to do so.

However, if Ronaldo becomes stubborn with his 'smart runs' then the manager should have full power to drop him. Which I think Rangnick has the balls to do so.

 

[Ixion]

I don't think it will be a problem. We saw Ronaldo pressing on Wednesday while up front with Martial. Under a better coach he'll do it and more effectively. It might not be as effective as a 25 year old doing it but people are kidding themselves if they think Ronaldo is going to walk around in Rangnick's side.

 

[Plant0x84]

I’m confused by OP. I thought Ronaldo was a GOAT, not an elephant?

 

[SeanyC]

I think he will accommodate Ronaldo…have the other 9 pressing and Ronaldo roaming

 

[deef]

I was really skeptical of him coming back but he proved me wrong. Ronaldo is one of the most professional players in the history of this sport.

Only issue with him is he might be to demanding to himself and his team.

I don't think he will have problems with Rangnick or pressing.

IMO people overestimate the physical aspect of pressing. Its not 10 players sprint towards the ball for 90 minutes. Pressing has a lot of tactical aspects and try to lure the opponents in situation to make mistakes.

 

[Get In Scholesy]

Ronaldo will be the best player he has ever managed as far as I'm concerned. If Rangnick is as good as they regard him, I am sure he will have no issues with someone like Ronaldo in the squad.

And in the event that he does have an issue, it will be best for the club which is always most important.

 

[Maurice Setters Training]

As someone else posted: Ronaldo is the ultimate professional. If his 37 year old body is capable- he will press.

Perhaps more high profile super-sub appearances.

 

[sunama]

Any manager on the planet would be ecstatic to work with CR7 - arguably the greatest player of all time, who can score goals out of nothing.
Is there going to be an issue? The only issue will be if Ronaldo's name is 1st on the teamsheet or the 2nd name.

 

[mancan92]

Some of you guys are hilarious. You know Ronaldo is known as one of the hardest training and professional players in the game. You really think he wouldn't adapt himself to fit the team? Or that the manager wouldn't slightly adapt his system for one of the best of all time?

 

[AFC NimbleThumb]

Some of you guys are hilarious. You know Ronaldo is known as one of the hardest training and professional players in the game. You really think he wouldn't adapt himself to fit the team? Or that the manager wouldn't slightly adapt his system for one of the best of all time?

Exactly this.

I don’t claim to know Ralfs inner thoughts but I’m going to guess he’d rather Ronaldo than Hesky. I’m sure one of the best players to ever lace up & a current world class number 9 will be accommodated.

 

[Water Melon]

Even if Ronaldo is not that young, Ralf will find a way to accommodate him. Even if we start with Rashford and Cavani up top, the gaffer can always bring on CR7 for the last half an hour to cause havoc against tiring opposition.

 

[Ladron de redcafe]

Feck me, you really don't know anything about Rangnick. He is the Boss now for this squad, he won't fall in line, he will lead and define the line.

And he will still be influencing the clubs strategy when Ronaldo is gone.

Yeah, I cringed reading that post. The idea of Rangnick "falling in line" and accepting players putting no effort to press is laughable. Nobody is undroppable and primadonnas will get benched.

 

[Ladron de redcafe]

Cristiano Ronaldo:
- has received five Ballon d'Or/FIFA Ballon d'Or awards
- holds the record for most goals and assists in the UEFA Champions League
- has scored a record 799 senior career goals for club and country
- has won 32 senior trophies in his career
- has won over 300 trophies and medals by January 2021
- has played and become champion in four different leagues

In short, yes, I think he can fit into Mr. Rangnick's system... easily.

What do cumulative totals have to do with a player's current ability?