Krishnan Sreekumar
Cristiano Ronaldo tells Ralf Rangnick to change Manchester United formation to fit in two strikers
According to The Athletic (Subscription Required), Manchester United forward Cristiano Ronaldo has held talks with interim manager Ralf Rangnick about changing the team’s formation to accommodate two strikers up front.
Ronaldo moved to United the previous summer in a sensational return to the club that launched him as a superstar of the game. The Portugal international had previously left the side for Real Madrid in 2009.
It is said that the forward has asked Rangnick to adopt a system that benefits both him and the team by playing a two-striker system to boost their goal scoring output and ensure better results going forward in the season.
The former Real Madrid man cut a frustrated figure on the pitch recently as United managed to secure a 1-1 draw in the first leg of the Round of 16 of the Champions League against Atletico Madrid. Despite being a constant threat to Atletico in the past during his time in Spain, Ronaldo hardly got an opportunity to make his presence felt against the opposition defence.
Strike partner for Ronaldo
Of late, United seem unable to score goals as they struggle to produce chances up front. This has also been made worse by the fact that the side is unable to keep their slender leads if they do manage to score, as they drop precious points in their quest to finish in the top four of the Premier League.
It is said that Ronaldo attended a meeting with other senior stars and Rangnick after the home draw with Southampton earlier this month, to talk about the idea of him having a strike partner so as to better the club’s results and ensure more goals are scored.
United’s only chance at a trophy this season is the Champions League, and they did well to secure a draw against Atletico in the first leg to set up a favourable home clash against the La Liga side next month. However, they will need to massively increase their attacking output if they are to win the tie.
Ronaldo knows what it takes to win the UCL, as a five-time winner of the competition himself. He seems to be intent on getting United as far as he can in the competition, and for this, he apparently believes that a strike partner is necessary.
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The club currently has Edinson Cavani and Marcus Rashford to support him up front, while Anthony Elanga is another potential option to play there. However, it is far from simple as the former has had long-standing injury issues throughout this season, while the latter has looked out of form over the past year.
Rangnick certainly has a dilemma on his hands, with Ronaldo’s inputs to consider as well as find a way to ensure the starting XI is balanced. So far, the German has relied on a flexible 4-3-3 system with Ronaldo as the sole striker to bring him results. It will be interesting to see whether the former RB Leipzig manager will revert to a two-man striker system later on in the season.
