Saturday at the theater of dreams, our dreams became reality. It was a day where grown men felt like boys again and a day when a lot of boys (of this generation) felt something they had never felt before. For probably the first time in their lives they got to experience Old Trafford like their elder siblings and parents who described it - the proper way. It was the first time in eight years Old Trafford felt so alive. Ronaldo returned home and United fans could believe again.
The loudest cheer yet was heard when Cristiano Ronaldo walked out with the rest of his new teammates with “Ronaldo 7” on his back (thanks for that Edi) as chants of “Viva Ronaldo” rang around the stadium.
It took some time, some hard work and some frustration along the way but it did come, the only moment every United fan wanted to see again- a Cristiano Ronaldo goal just before the interval. It didn't matter that it was a tap in after a spill from the goalkeeper, it was Ronaldo, on the scoresheet once again.
“Close your eyes and he never went away”, said Peter Drury after Ronaldo scored. The emotion on the faces of the fans and the player himself was indicative of that statement. Fans chanted the loudest “SIUU” that anyone anywhere had ever heard for that first goal. Ronaldo scoring in Red, felt natural.
Then Newcastle equalized. They took advantage of sloppy defensive play by Luke Shaw, Nemanja Matic and Harry Maguire and got their leveller through Javier Manquillo and there was a hush around Old Trafford as if to remind everyone of the existing problems in the team. Newcastle to that point had been very difficult to break down and United had only managed three shots on target in 56 minutes of action.
Six minutes and a Luke Shaw carry and through ball to Ronaldo later, United were back in front. Ronaldo finished expertly with his left foot, through the legs of the goalkeeper to make it 2-1 and everything was back to normal again. Ronaldo being the answer in United’s time of need is going to be a common occurrence this season isn't it?
The other Portuguese, Bruno Fernandes beautifully curled in a third from distance in the 80th minute as if to say “don’t forget about me” with Jesse Lingard rounding up the scoring with an exquisite touch and finish in the box after some intricate buildup play and a clever Anthony Martial dummy.
United ended up winning by a huge margin but it wasn't all comfortable.
United’s major problems when breaking down compact teams continued. This was mainly due to the lack of a system. A system or style of play allows the players to have a natural understanding of where their teammates are on the pitch. Depending on the manager, players will still be able to express themselves and show their own offensive quality within the team’s framework. This is especially useful when trying to break down teams that make themselves hard to play against.
For large parts of the game United struggled to create width or get crosses off from dangerous positions and tried to force things through a very clogged central area.
There was also the issue of trying to force the issue down the left. The lack of balance in attack was one major problem the team had last season due to the absence of a natural right winger and quality offensive output from Aaron Wan Bisakka at right back. In some games the right side looked barren.
Against Newcastle, Mason Greenwood sometimes drifted to the middle, thereby leaving space that Wan-Bisakka didn't exploit or overlap into in large parts. Against a team that blocks the central space well, width is needed from the winger and fullback in order to drag players wide but United often struggled to provide width especially on the right. Diogo Dalot might be worth considering for games like this due to his more offensive instincts. Hopefully we get a sample size of that against Young Boys on Tuesday.
The team’s touch map, provided by Whoscored and their attacking direction as well as average formation provided by Sofascore showed their lack of activity/focus on the right wing offensively which is ironic because the first goal came from a rare moment where Mason Greenwood took on his man and shot at goal with Ronaldo pouncing on the rebound.
Greenwood wasn't the only one who had problems taking on their markers, Jadon Sancho did too in a game which he struggled to make an impact. Incisive dribbling runs are needed to take opponents out of the game and drag players into unwanted positions especially out wide but both players preferred to play safe. Missing Marcus Rashford badly right now.
Sancho’s underwhelming start to life in England continued as he often ran into trouble with the ball at his feet and slowed the pace down with too many dribbles in some moments where an early cross or pass would've been the better option.
Since joining the club, he hasn't played a full 90 minutes yet and he had to withdraw from the England squad due to injury during the last round of International matches. He hasn't looked his sharpest so far and it could be a mixture of his lack of fitness and the adaptation process that comes with moving to a new league. He will need time.
The midfield was solid with Nemanja Matic providing some line breaking passes and offering defensive protection but he also lost the ball a few times, was partly responsible for the Newcastle equalizer and was beaten rather easily by Joe Willock. It's obvious Matic doesn't have the legs to play consistent minutes but he keeps possession ticking over which is useful in order to keep pressure against more defensive minded opponents.
It now looks like Pogba is a lock to play in the center of midfield this season - which means that the midfield rotation will be key for different games and scenarios this season. If United intend to keep the Frenchman beyond next season then they should be looking to prioritize strengthening that position.
What's really exciting about this team is the fact that now more than ever, it looks like the team have the confidence to go out and win whatever match possible even if there are still some tactical issues to sort out. There are game changers on the bench who can profer solutions to different problems the team may face. Individual brilliance and vibes may just push this team all the way.
With Edinson Cavani working hard to regain fitness, Sancho getting more minutes and time to get used to the English game and Marcus Rashford yet to come into the squad, I am reminded of a popular meme from the Japanese amime Dragon Ball where Vegeta stands confidently and says “this isn't even my final form”.