Ronaldo..better on the left or the right?

[Dark Savante]

The common consensus is that we need a left winger. This would suggest to me people consider Ronaldo to be a right winger. I've never been 'sure' about that. Ronaldo thinks like a central player. His natural urge is to cut in field and shoot delivering natural winger like crosses is not his game, at all. Granted he is learning how to think like an orthodox winger but, I believe this is always going to feel a bit foriegn to him.

I think he was put on the left in the FA Cup for tactical reasons(Fergie knew he could roast Lauren with ease) but I noticed during the game that having the threat of him cutting in field onto his right foot unsettled Arsenal alot more then the threat of him cutting in from the right side onto his left foor It also seemed to be more natural to Ronaldo's thinking..he seemed freer to me, like he was more confident in cutting into the field on his right then he looks vice versa.

If the FA Cup was a sign of things to come then we might not see much of Giggs next season..i.e he may be used sparingly so with that, wouldn't it be better for us to get a right winger instead of a lefty? As things are turning out we may be thinner on the right side then we are on the left (Giggs, Ronaldo, Richardson & Fortune at a stretch) if Ole does not come back as the player we hope we will only have Ronaldo who can effectively play on the right (I hope Rooney is put in his natural support striker role not out wide) perhaps Eagles (hopefully Phil is sold) and Giggs at a stretch can go on the right but, how much more dangerous would we be with a natural right winger in our squad? Ole is the closest we have to that imo, but it is totally unfair to him to expect anything of him straight away. Ronaldo on the right makes more bad descisions then Ronaldo on the left imo. I seem to recall this being the case for Portugal also.

So what do you guys think?

[Perchik]

There is a reason why MU signed Giggs to a contract extension, and it's not to sit him on the bench or play out of position. I hope Richardson will also get a chance to start some games on the left.
Ronaldo will have to learn how to play the right winger position, cause that's where he should (and would) be used.

Also, wondering who you are referring to when you talk about signing a natural right winger?

[Dark Savante]

There is a reason why MU signed Giggs to a contract extension, and it's not to sit him on the bench or play out of position. I hope Richardson will also get a chance to start some games on the left.
Ronaldo will have to learn how to play the right winger position, cause that's where he should (and would) be used.
Hmm.. I do wonder just how many games Giggs is going to get. I dunno about Ronaldo on the right if he plays better on the left what would be the point of that?


Also, wondering who you are referring to when you talk about signing a natural right winger?
;) A good player. I'm talking about top notch otherwise we may as well not bother. I would not complain if Figo came..wooo...SWP would be ideal...

[listen_up_fergie]

I thought Ronaldo played really well on the left wing, and being on the right seemed to suit Rooney more. In regard to Giggsy, there is always a period in a season when his form is sublime and he has the capability to win matches almost single-handedly, like in the Nov/Dec period last year. Giggs is losing out in terms of pace, but his quick thinking and trickery will always remain and so he still remains a very dangerous player. Next season a lot will depend on the formation Fergie chooses to play. He might opt for the same 4-3-3 he used against Arsenal, with the same line-up except Heinze back in LB, and Gary in RB. Or he might choose to play a 4-4-2 with Ruud and Rooney upfront, and Giggs on the left and Ronaldo on the right (and Fletcher/Scholes on the bench).

[JamesA]

It would be great to see a natural right winger as you put it, like swp.

I tend to feel ronaldo seems more comfortable on the left, or through the centre myself. But its also comforting to know he can be so versatile, and still be dangerous as hell.

On that note what do you guys think a SWP would be worth right now....10-12mil?

[Dark Savante]

On that note what do you guys think a SWP would be worth right now....10-12mil?
:) double that. - Man Utd tax, English player tax, rival tax, age of the player and growth rate of the player. I think SWP would cost us around 20m and Chelsea 24m+

[phishy]

i think he prefers to play on the ground... cuz he is there often enough..
usually whining or moaning to the referee about being fouled~~
i like the shocked look when he doesnt get awarded a free kick as well..
oscar winning stuff~

[CRISTIANO_RONALDO_7]

Ronaldo should be center attacking midfielder, and on that note, Figo would be the perfect choice at left!! I could only imagine the wonderful crosses to rooney and rudd with figo in the line up! Not to mention the triple teaming on Ronaldo wouldn't happen any more freeing up space for him!!! Please SAF get Figo here NOW!!!!!! :D

[CRISTIANO_RONALDO_7]

P.S. I think Scholes should be moved!!! :D

[JamesA]

i like the shocked look when he doesnt get awarded a free kick as well..

sorta like those oscar winnning looks of disbelief lauren gives, when the ref calls him for one of his perfectly timed tackles :rolleyes:

[CRISTIANO_RONALDO_7]

LOL...good one!!

[Vermont Red]

Ronaldo can play anywhere, he just needs to understand that he's not the only player on the field. In my opinion, if Ronaldo starts making better decisions about when to pass and when to shoot then the sky's the limit.

[Longshoe]

I like him on the wing, not in the center. I think he might be a little better on the left, but he can handle either side.

I've had my doubts about him, but with his game Saturday and others this season, he's starting to become one of my favorites.

[Neo¹]

I dont really believe in "Wingers" unless it is in a 4-3-3 formation, I think Ronaldo should play in the center right behind the two strikers or play on the left and cut in to shoot and pass with his Right foot. Ronaldo has gotten alot better this season and Chelsea and Real madrid have expressed intrest in the young star.

[Val1]

Ronaldo showed he can play on the left, and be dangerous. Our Pires has made a career of cutting in from the left, which offers a nice change of pace.

What Giggs is going to offer you, with Ronaldo's seeming ability to play both wings, is the same sort of late-game guile that OGS gives you on the right. Giggs came in the last 30 minutes and three superb crosses, all of which did not come from the touchline but from 30 yards out and caught our defenders napping.

Since Fergie's going to keep Keane, cover would seem to be your biggest need, not another winger. Did you guys this season play Rooney wide right? Giving him the space to get up to full speed was a terrifying sight. He beat Cole most of the match, think what he could do to a slower LB.

[Dark Savante]

Ronaldo showed he can play on the left, and be dangerous. Our Pires has made a career of cutting in from the left, which offers a nice change of pace.

What Giggs is going to offer you, with Ronaldo's seeming ability to play both wings, is the same sort of late-game guile that OGS gives you on the right. Giggs came in the last 30 minutes and three superb crosses, all of which did not come from the touchline but from 30 yards out and caught our defenders napping.

Since Fergie's going to keep Keane, cover would seem to be your biggest need, not another winger. Did you guys this season play Rooney wide right? Giving him the space to get up to full speed was a terrifying sight. He beat Cole most of the match, think what he could do to a slower LB.
Interesting post. I don't see Rooney out wide. I really hope we put him in field where he belongs. This wide business only 'works' because he is that good but we are nowhere near optimizing him using him like that. I'd like to see him in the hole, behind Ruud or roaming wherever he wants like he does for England.

RE: Pires. Yes it is true of many top class right-footed players who use the left side of the pitch as their starting position.and that's why I think it suits Ronaldo more than the right side of the pitch, which essentially limits him (his left foot shooting is not as good as his right)

It's obvious we need a Keano replacement/cover, whether that is available this Summer remains to be seen. If we can't get top notch (Essien, Mascherano) then we may as well not bother and hope Fletcher and Jones can help the old cap'n out.

[THFC1]

I think he was put on the left in the FA Cup for tactical reasons(Fergie knew he could roast Lauren with ease) but I noticed during the game that having the threat of him cutting in field onto his right foot unsettled Arsenal alot more then the threat of him cutting in from the right side onto his left foor It also seemed to be more natural to Ronaldo's thinking..he seemed freer to me, like he was more confident in cutting into the field on his right then he looks vice versa.

That was what i was going say.
I like players who can play on both wings as long as they can use both feet so they dont become predictable. Ronaldo was superb on the left in the Final.

[Motterman]

I chose: free role.


I think Ronaldo's main advantage is beating defenders. If his shooting and passing improve, I can see him roaming the pitch and playing where he's finding the most joy that day.

I call it the 4-3-Ronaldo-2 formation:

-----------Howard-----------
G. Nev----Rio---Wes----Heinze
--------Fletch--Keane-------
-----------Scholes----------
----------Ronaldo--------------
-----Rooney-----Ruud--------

Basically, we're relieving Heinze of having to press forward and deliver crosses, as that's not his strength anyways. Keane is d-mid. Fletch links defence/Keane to Scholes/Ronaldo/Rooney. Scholes/Ronaldo/Rooney/Ruud provide the goals with Fletch adding the odd goal when he gets a chance. We improve our set pieces, both in the taking and the finishing. This is assuming that we don't bring anybody in this summer....

[johno]

I think Ronaldo is inconsistent right now... sometimes he will play great on the left and other times great on the right... we've seen him used more on the right and he's actually getting good at putting in crosses... however, his shooting and penetration are less effective on that side... playing him on the left will make him more incisive and more of a threat, but it will also cut down the amount of crosses he makes and if he's playing against a weak opponent, it will increase the amount of showboating he does... for example, outside of the foot right footed crosses from the left, (the boy is insane!)...

Blah, what did i just say? not much of anything... he's still growing, still very flexible and most importantly still learning the game... I think Ronaldo perfecting his game on the right is the best move tbh. Once that is done then we can move him to the left and let him roam... playing on the right will force him to develop his passing and crossing more, and help him be more direct (ie, getting to the touchline and crossing the ball). Playing on the left he wont have to perfect his crossing as much because he can dribble his way out of trouble easier since inside is more dangerous than outside and he can shoot effectively... in other words, he may be more effective in the short term on the left, but by playing on the right he will be forced I think to develop some fundamentals and be more of a team player... once he has that mastered then he could swap flanks virtually at will... he already has the necessary tools to play LW but with pinpoint, deep crosses (rightfooted ones) and relatively accurate touchline crosses (leftfooted) as well as better passing and his already electric dribbling skills he will be all but unstoppable on the left if we decide to move him over there permanently....

So my choice? I'd play him on the right for one more season, but with a freer role allowing him to cut in from time to time but not too often, and occasionally allowing him to swap flanks if he is having a tough game, or there is a weakness that can be exposed. In the future I'd move him to the left and in the far future, when he is the finished article he will make perhaps the best attacking mid with a free role the world will have seen in quite some time... (hopefully, and also hopefully that will be at ManU)

[Motterman]

I also think we made a mistake in not switching Ronaldo to the right side once Ashley Cole picked up that yellow card. The only way Cole has stopped Ronaldo in the past has been by fouling him repeatedly....