Summer is always a mad time for Premier League fans. The wait for the new season is made all the more exciting (or torturous depending on your perspective) as clubs across the land fight to get the best players, while keeping their own crown jewels.
Last year the emotional return of Cristiano Ronaldo to Manchester United, after an absence of 12 years, wrote all the headlines, and he started his second stint at the Theatre of Dreams in fine fashion as the Red Devils climbed towards the top of the league.
But it has been a long campaign and United’s Premier League 2022 results over the last few weeks of the season were little short of woeful, culminating in a sixth-place finish and a disappointing points total of 58 points.
35 points behind champions Manchester City and just 23 above the relegation zone is not what CR7 envisaged on his return.
Ronaldo had a strange season at Old Trafford; he was their top-scorer with 18 goals at an impressive rate of one goal per 137 minutes, with only Golden Boot winners Mohamed Salah and Heung-Min Son scoring more. He won four of the club’s ‘Player of the Month’ awards and in the Premier League he was involved in 42 per cent of the club’s goals.
But he has cut a frustrated figure at times and possibly feels let down by some of the players around him. The off-field shame of Mason Greenwood was a blow to the club, and Paul Pogba has continued his quest to become the most frustrating and enigmatic talent ever to be seen in the Premier League.
And, off the field too, Ronaldo was dismayed by the lack of progress at the club since his departure in 2009, discovering that the swimming pool at the Carrington training ground had not been updated since he last had a dip there. He told staff the faulty tiles were a health and safety risk and so the main pool and plunge pool has been refurbished.
That was an embarrassing intervention for Manchester United and, elsewhere in the media, questions have been asked whether Ronaldo has been responsible for some disharmony within the squad, notably by former Liverpool playing legend John Barnes. The ex-England winger has questioned Ronaldo’s attitude, claiming that he has caused disunity. But coming from a Liverpool man in the wake of the Merseysiders’ Champions League disappointment, maybe this is a bit of mischief.
Manchester United fans won’t be listening to Barnes, that’s for sure!
Ten Hag simply wants goals from CR7
Incoming head coach Erik ten Hag has been asked whether Ronaldo can fit into his framework and philosophy, and he gave a short answer when quizzed on what the Portuguese star will bring to the team in the new campaign.
His one-word response was: “Goals.”
Fair enough. And if he can match the 24 from 38 games in all competitions then Ronaldo is certainly worth another year to the club, but he needs another world-class scorer alongside him. Marcus Rashford hasn’t moved on in the last two campaigns and, with Edinson Cavani on the way out of the club, Ten Hag needs to find more firepower.
Without Ronaldo, the Red Devils were toothless last season. In the eight games he missed, they won just once, a 1-0 victory over Aston Villa in the FA Cup and, overall, they lost five and drew the other two.
When the new season begins I suspect the opening Premier League 2022 betting odds
will predict another battle for Manchester United to try to win a top-four place and while that will represent progress, it’s by no means certain unless Ten Hag can work some magic in the market and on the training ground.
For the moment, Ronaldo seems willing to give it a go. Of Ten Hag he said: “What I know about him is he did a fantastic job for Ajax, that he’s an experienced coach, but we need to give him time. I hope we have success, because, if you have success, all of Manchester is going to have success as well.”
Speaking for the Red half of the city of course!
Later this year, in November and December, Ronaldo will be making his swansong on the world stage in Qatar as Portugal attempt to replicate their 2016 European Championship and 2019 Nations League successes. Here at SBOTOP,we’ll be covering the tournament from start to finish and expecting Ronaldo will put on one of his greatest shows.
And, in the meantime, Manchester United fans hope he can do the business for them…one more time.
●●●
CHECK OUT OUR BLOG FOR MORE FOOTBALL STORIES & ODDS
Stay updated with everything sports and betting.
Follow us on social Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
