How many of you red devil supporters see a future for C.Ronaldo in the premiership? I know that he is still young and has alot of potential but he has a good many qualities that I personnally believe could have very negitive effects on his career in Man U and the EPL. Firstly he plays the 1 on 1 game. English football is first touch passing and long ball play. Where we tend to see 1 on 1 play is usually found in Italy and even more so in Spain. If he keeps up his constant ball posession I have no doubt that it will result in a serious injury and further hurt the team. I mean the guy draws like 6 fouls a game which is great but his robust play lacks and the more time he spends on the ground the worse it will turn out for himself and Man U. As the season progresses and his Rep. as a "diver" grows we will see less sympathy shown to him by officials and more yellow cards credited to his record. I may be wrong. let me know what you all think
I think Fergie is perfectly aware of these issues, but injuries have not been kind to us so far this season and Fergie has probably had to play Ronaldo more than he had planned to. In an ideal situation, Fergie would like to bring him in slowly, and we've seen what formerly waifish dribblers are capable of doing to English opponents: They seemed to turn out all right in English football...
I do think that United would do well to have a true ball-handler, and someone who could succeed Ryan Giggs at that left mid spot. He's got a lot of flair, and definitely a lot of brash confidence out there. For now he lacks that final touch that is needed by all truly great midfielders, but I'm hoping that by spending enough time with Keane and Giggs, he can gain that. I also agree that in the Premiership, speed and passing is valued over 1 v 1 skills, and its that fast pace that makes the EPL my favorite soccer league. But having a guy like Ronaldo can allow a team to have so many more options. Just imagine the possibilities if Ronaldo could dribble into the penalty box, and then make a through-pass to Ruud, or slot it back to Scholes or Giggs or Dj2 once defenders realize they have to double-team the Portugese wonder. But then, most of the guys who have become stars in the Prem have done it through their passing and goals-scoring. When I watch Ronaldo, I like what I see, but I can't help but think of one name that comes to mind--Kanu. He is a similar type of player, and while you can't deny that he has made contributions to Arsenal, its hard to say that the former African player of the year has lived up to expectations. Big money transfers to the EPL are expected to put the ball into the net, period. I think he can do it at Old Trafford. But he'll have to learn some discipline. And in England, the mentality is, "once a diver, always a diver". Just look at Ruud, who has been stuck with the "cheat" and "diver" reputation (well, its mostly disgruntled Arsenal fans, but you get the idea) for things he did two seasons ago. Ronaldo needs to learn to clean up his game and keep the playacting to a minimum. But above all he needs to learn to control himself as well as he controls the ball. If he does, he'll find himself a nice spot at Manchester United for years to come.
Oooooh.... I was gonna mention Georgie, but man thats a lofty comparison. I mean, Ronaldo is amazing to be sure, but I'm just not so sure about comparing him to arguably the best natural talent the game has seen. But hey, if you're right, I won't be complaining.
The diving as everyone said must stop, but aside from that all he needs is to coached properly. Its easy to pass the ball as soon as you get it. If you have vision and can pass which he does and can then you can become an effective midfielder in the EPL. When you add the ability to beat damn near anyone 1v1 at any given time you just have a more dangerous player. SAF and the coaching staff must teach Ronaldo when to dribble, if he becomes a passer first his dribbling will become more of a weapon.
I agree with most of what you said, but not this part. I think it is quick decision making that separates the good second eschelon leagues from great top eschelon leagues. In the Dutch, Scottish, French, Brazilian and Argentine leagues (as well as MLS), there are players who have all of the other requisite skills and physical attributes. But generally the things that prevent them from competing in the top leagues are things like the ability to see a play before it develops and make the exact correct timing of the run, or to make the instant decision whether to dribble, pass or hold the ball. These players generally do not have blazing speed of foot, it's the speed of thought that allows them to make the dominant play. Other things like finishing are very important too, but IMHO, it is the speed of thought that really separates merely someone with skill from someone who is a true top player. When you watch the vast majority of top players playing a team that is woefully undermatched talent-wise, it is almost always a one-touch passfest. Yes, they do their amazing runs, but it's just too easy to see and make the pass, so they play keep-away and pinball the ball around. Why? Because that's the way all of the best players want to play, they just cannot do it against similarly skilled players most of the time. I do think Ronaldo will get there, but I don't think we can take his development as a passer--particularly a one touch passer--for granted. -Digital
I would like to add that I think, up to now, Ronaldo has been playing a bit out of position out on the wings. I think he is much more comfortable up front or in a reserved striker role. Would love to see what he can go up there.
Well, I wasn't comparing their skills that much, just the style of play you are forced to adapt to when you have a smaller frame. I don't think Ronaldo has the all-round game or instincts that Bestie had - very few players in history have had that to be fair. But Ronaldo definitely has the skills to light the pitch on fire once he's ready. We've already seen what he can do to England internationals (Ashley Cole on his arse, etc.) I started a thread a couple of months ago touting Ronaldo as a striker. I still think it's worth a shot. Maybe in the next Carling Cup match?
You make some excellent points, I was not touting him as an Aimar however, or even a Scholes, just someone whose passing is competant enough that he wont hurt the team while his dribbling skills used at the right time will benefit the team... You are right its too soon to know whether he will become one of those players with telepathic capability. example Zidane who not only tells his players where to run but the defenders as well and then plays the perfect through ball... I love that idea motterman, Carling Cup is a good spot to test, but he wont be able to play there consistently until we get Ole back. Does anyone see Ole comming back and playing right half??? I hope so, he is too good to sit on the bench... I think we could use the same line-up we had towards the end of last year minus Butt and use Ronaldo as a sub and in squad rotation to keep Scholes, Ole, and occasionally Giggs some rest. When Ronaldo matures some more maybe he can strike with Ruud or even play on the right wing as he is now, but with Ole partnering Ruud...
I think this was Fergie's strategy going into this season. Our January buying will hinge hugely on how fit Ole is when the window opens. But we almost always seem to have early season injuries and it's proved to be good experience for the younger players coming in, and always sets up our strong runs into the late stages of the league and various cup runs....
-----------------Ruud ----------Ole----------Scholes Giggs-----------------------------Ronaldo -----------------Keane------------------ Depending on how well the back four perform in the later stages of Champions League we could perhaps field this team. I think it would be more than enough fire power to beat Madrid certainly and possible Juve and Milan.