With or without Ronaldo, Manchester United’s problems run deeper than just one man

Cristiano Ronaldo has failed to score in his last six matches for Manchester United and his dry spell has led to varied opinions over his status in the team.

Of course, there are those who believe the Portuguese was an unnecessary addition and has prevented the Red Devils from playing as a team, rather than playing to his strengths.

There is also another section that believes United would not have qualified for the Champions League knockout stages and would not be challenging for a top-four place if not for Ronaldo.

Both sides have cogent reasons to back their arguments. But the bottom line is that Ronaldo’s goals have bailed the team out many times this season. He will continue to win them more points as long as he stays at Old Trafford.

In the last few weeks, especially, Ralf Rangnick has tried different formations and different setups but the team’s underlying problems still remain.

Even when Ronaldo was dropped against Burnley, the Reds still struggled, which only points to the fact that Manchester United’s problems run deeper than just one man.

Reds’ lack of concentration troubling

For a start, the Reds have been woeful in defense this season. Despite the arrival of Raphael Varane, Harry Maguire’s weaknesses have proved too costly.

Then there’s the lack of concentration that has denied Manchester United victory in several games. Since Rangnick’s arrival, the Reds have conceded fewer goals and have had better control over games.

However, they’re almost always unable to sustain their performances. They start matches dominantly but fade off as the minutes tick away.

Manchester United’s second-half performances have been particularly damning and that’s the reason why they have surrendered leads in each of their last three matches. Only a lack of concentration can explain such a frequent pattern.

Manchester United need to be more ruthless

Another problem that has hindered Manchester United’s progress in recent months is their lack of ruthlessness in front of goal.

The team is creating chances but they are just too wasteful. It’s not just about one man: Ronaldo, Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, Bruno Fernandes and Edinson Cavani have all been culpable in this regard.

“It’s not only about Cristiano Ronaldo. [But] He should score more goals, it’s obvious,” Rangnick said last week, as quoted by Marca.

“I think we are creating enough chances and enough opportunities in the last couple of games but we just didn’t score enough goals, but this is not only an issue with Cristiano, it’s an issue with the other players, especially the offensive players. We don’t score enough goals.”

In truth, Manchester United should have comfortably won each of their last three matches after creating several chances in the first halves.

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However, they ended up winning none and until they solve their concentration problems and become more clinical, they will continue to drop points in winnable matches.