OLD TRAFFORD – As Manchester United retreated into the tunnel after their 4-1 derby day drubbing at the Etihad, Ralf Rangnick’s side looked depleted.
Outclassed and thoroughly beaten in every area of the pitch, it seemed like this was a team for whom the upper echelons of the Premier League would surely be out of reach.
But after a stellar Cristiano Ronaldo hat-trick against Spurs on Saturday, the mood has shifted. The Portuguese has an innate ability to transport United back to the 2000s again, eliciting chants of “Viva Ronaldo” from 70,000 supporters.
“This is what I love about this club. Sunday, I felt like we were almost at a funeral and the team was already dead and it was the end of the decade,” Rangnick jokingly responded to a reporter who asked about United’s possible fortunes in Europe.
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Winning the competition is a far-fetched idea, but the reasoning behind the question was sound. There was something special about Saturday’s result, something which brought about a positivity which is rarely felt at Old Trafford.
Perhaps it was merely the brilliance of Ronaldo. Now the all-time top scorer in men’s football, his eye for goal hasn’t waned over the years. He is a different beast to that skilful teenager who lit up English football all those years ago, but he is a beast nevertheless.
Many argue that the Red Devils often perform better without him, but there is little doubt about the qualities he can bring.
“I honestly think without Cristiano Ronaldo, [for United] it wouldn’t have been a good night,” said Spurs boss Antonio Conte, but that isn’t wholly true.
While Ronaldo will grab the headlines with his goal-getting and record-setting, it was far from a one-man performance. What is key to his side’s potential is not just his own talents, but the ability of those who work around him to complement the whole side.
There is perhaps no better example than Jadon Sancho. Signed for £73m in the summer, he was rapidly written off by many when he didn’t instantly perform, but now the Sancho who those who watched the Bundesliga marvelled at has returned.
The Englishman has now found his feet in his home country and is beginning to work well with the entire unit. At Borussia Dortmund he coupled perfectly with the man-machine hybrid Erling Haaland; now he’s doing similar in Manchester.
Using his pace on the wing, he brings the attacking spark to United’s front line. Ronaldo has the eye for goal and is a fine finisher, but without the service he is getting from Sancho – and Fred, who has performed well in recent weeks – it would be a very different tale.
There is, of course, one glaring issue which just won’t go away: United’s defending is at best haphazard, and at worst dangerous. But with the reintroduction of Diogo Dalot and Raphael Varane, things improved. It is far from perfect, with Harry Maguire especially seeming off-kilter, but that won’t be able to change until the window.
So for now, Rangnick will have to make do with what he has at his disposal. Ronaldo, having benefitted from his surprise trip to Portugal while injured, is the talisman, but the rest of the side are now starting to perform.
But they can’t afford for Saturday to be an isolated performance. Spurs are struggling; Atletico Madrid will be a better test. If United can perform on home soil against a stellar defensive side, then it will prove their mettle. If not, it will act as a reality check and show how there’s still much improvement to be done.
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