The way the top 4 race has been playing around between Tottenham, Arsenal, Manchester United and West Ham this season is making everyone uncertain as to who will take the 4th slot in the league. All four are toying with inconsistencies this season and Manchester United almost threw away their initial lead in the game, thanks to Cristiano Ronaldo who helped with a lovely freekick to seal the win.
It's not surprising that Manchester United struggles against every team this season and it's funny how Norwich that had only 8 away goals this season and sits at the bottom of the table managed to score 2 away goals against Manchester United. It took a brilliant hat-trick from Cristiano Ronaldo to win the game. He has already scored two Hat-tricks this season after he got one against Tottenham and now against Norwich City.
I knew Manchester United would be in trouble against Norwich because they just know how to take their foot off the gas when it matters. It's either Manchester United play a decent first half and crumbles in the second or plays terribly at the first and then plays slightly better in the second. This is why they have conceded 11 goals in the last 15 minutes of their games this season.
Norwich crawled their way back into the game and they could have won it if not for lack of luck and the alertness of David De Gea from time to time but Cristiano Ronaldo happened and the rest is history. He managed to get his 50th club hat-trick and 60 overall. He scored 44 hat-tricks for Real Madrid, 3 for Juventus and 3 for Manchester United. He has gotten 10 also for Portugal and it's enough to say that Manchester United are where they are this season because of Cristiano Ronaldo else they would have been worse.
A lot has been said that he is the problem with Manchester United this season and despite his age and not doing so much defensively, it would be unfair to say that he is the problem because what he brings to the team trumps all that. He has saved this team many times and he seems to be the only one doing the job he is being paid to do with David De Gea too.
He is a player who takes his job seriously. I am not saying he is perfect but he is doing what is expected of him and how this team would have achieved more if all of them are not so terrible at their jobs. He is a man that constantly lives under pressure and the way he handles his pressure allows him to do his talking on the pitch.
I have to admit that when he lined up to take that freekick, I would rather have Mata take it instead because Ronaldo hasn't scored a freekick goal in a long time. I doubted him but he didn't doubt himself. Mata could have taken it and it would be "that was close" but Ronaldo looked like a man with a mission and he just wanted to put the horror of last week's defeat against Everton and the events that transpired after that, behind him, when he struck the phone off the hand of the young lad.
He doesn't always conduct himself in the best of ways, he might not have the legs to press anymore, run as fast as we would have liked and always create news, sometimes negatively but there is no denying the fact that, Manchester United were lucky to be in this position, thanks to Cristiano Ronaldo and he is still the highest goal scorer this season for them.
Pogba is inconsistent and untrusted as a leaf upon the waves of the water. Rashford has become a shadow of himself. Sancho shows a bit of his brilliance occasionally. Elanga is young and it's unfair to put too many expectations on him and that's what killed off the dream of Adnan Januzaj at Manchester United but Elanga is going his bit and should be respected. Fred shows up brilliant in two games and then loses concentration in the next. Maguire is terrible at his job, to say the least. Varane is always out injured too with Lindelof always struggling to keep up. Dalot and Wan Bissaka cannot be trusted as fullbacks. Luke Shaw is injury prone and injuries come for him when he is having a great season. Alex Telles has character but his end product is terrible too.
I can go on and on about these players but one thing is certain, they would have been worse if not for Cristiano Ronaldo and now I have to say he isn't the problem but the quality of players around him not doing what they are expected to do. Manchester United conceded 2 terrible goals and he is supposed to be the one to defend? Let's assume his ego is affecting the others as most people claimed, if they were being paid to do a job, are they expecting it to come easy before or if it was a regular 9 am to 5 am job, should they because another colleague threatens them or incite others against them, decide to do a job badly when they are being paid? Exactly!
Thank you for your time.
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