What’s glaringly amiss in Manchester United’s new potion of alchemy that’s acutely, and lamentably, short of potency is the obvious lack of a coherent game plan and decisive, as well as incisive, strategies well mapped out in advance for both posterity and longevity. Instead, in its place are haphazard, piecemeal efforts clumsily hatched masquerading as pre-conceived, pre-strategized building blocks in a new United masterplan that could actually collapse anytime like the proverbial house of cards with just a huff and a puff.
Somehow, oddly, there is always a sentimental appeal in bringing back a former megastar — even if it’s one who seemed perfectly happy only days ago to renege on his pledge pronounced upon his departure from Old Trafford with his arrogant, defiant rhetoric that he would never sell out or acquiesce to join one of their greatest rivals.
The only negative association with the all-time Portuguese maestro at this later cycle of his tenure at the highest pinnacles of excellence is that he is 36 years old and is poised to be on the wane in terms of physical prowess sooner, or at best a little bit later, even if his unabated, perpetual desire is to ride the crests as the ultimate player ever just to forever eclipse his eternal rival, Lionel Messi, who now happens to be the epitome of the best that Paris Saint-Germain can finally lay claim to having in their prestigious stable of the purest, finest thoroughbreds.
Equally, there is also some kind of appeal in seeing a popular former star immaculately outfitted now in a manager’s suit and enjoying his reincarnation, even if that particular individual does quite often end up looking morose and out of place in press conferences.
It’s often the wistful sentimentality of fondness that invariably clouds the better judgement that should prevail – as is made unmistakably clear by all those delighted tweets in the last two days celebrating the return of the ‘king’. Which is actually a situation parallel to that of those unwilling to even contemplate criticizing Solskjaer on the grounds that outsiders beyond the once-revered, hallowed United citadel can’t possibly hope to understand the context of what he means to United fans.
Perhaps not, but that doesn’t necessarily qualify him automatically as a good manager. The ‘Baby-Faced Assassin’ – known best for his lurking around the goal area and his predatorial stealth in pouncing and poaching for last minute goals should now learn to exercise greater caution so as not to fall on his own sword in believing he can actually call into useful replay his particular skillsets on the pitch and replicate them as management nous and savvy in his new role as boss of the squad.
Even the blind wearing shades could tell there has been great celebration in indulgence that United have succeeded in pinching Ronaldo from City, just as there was when they swooped to prevent Alexis Sánchez moving to the Etihad — and look how that turned out eventually. Looks like some people just never learn from past, glaring mistakes.
In fact, truth be told, Ronaldo would never have been a perfect fit for Pep Guardiola and Manchester City, who, seemingly, were quite likely showing some semblance of interest in the arch-rival of Messi simply for his Bosman status to conveniently accommodate their their not-too-urgent need for a central goalscorer, based on the public statement made only recently by Guardiola himself that should they fall short in their endeavors to sign England and Tottenham Hotspurs skipper Harry Kane in this summer transfer window, he would remain on record as being immensely satisfied with his current team as they now stand. Hence Ronaldo would have been just a mere convenience filling a slot if the move had somehow materialized, against all odds.
Ironically, this latest outcome has actually worked out largely in City’s favor, saddling a rival at the last minute with an aging player who had already peaked in recent years and is unable to either halt or slow down the passage of time, despite the player and his diehard fans believing, or profusely swearing, otherwise. Ronaldo in the present form as he stands will only drain their finite resources and disrupt tactical development that is so urgently needed for the immediate future of both squad and club. Indeed, time and tide wait for no man.
It would perhaps be pertinent to Manchester United fans at t his crucial juncture to remember that only three years ago, Juventus – despite being serial winners of the Serie A – but absolutely famished in their hunger the reach the pinnacle of European honors – hardly batted an eyelid in doling out £100m for a 33-year-old who was then still in supposed mint condition and gave him a basic salary of £26.6m a year. As history would go on to prove, that deal must now regrettably rank as one of the worst ever for the Bianconeri.
The great CR7 had clearly been signed with the highest of expectations to take Juventus, who had lost in two Champions League finals in the previous four seasons, to the very summit of European glory. Instead, they crashed out in the quarter-final to Ajax, then in the last 16 to Lyon, and then again in the last 16 to Porto last season. Juventus had impressively by their own steam won seven scudetti consecutively before Ronaldo even set a single toe on Bianconeri turf. Yes, they managed to win it again in their first two seasons with him, but could only scramble up a dismal fourth last year, a noticeable glitch in their history books and an undeniable shame to the Italian juggernauts.
It was not only his relative immobility, but also his reluctance to contribute to the press that clearly held the Serie A serial winners back tactically, but the money spent on him to nurture the hopes of attaining Champions League glory had invariably weakened the rest of the squad. The Italians finally tottered and stumbled.
Admittedly, despite Manchester United choosing – obdurately, one might add, and in obvious denial – to put blinkers on their eyes, there’s a salient reason Juventus were so willing to offload him pronto. He may have scored 81 league goals in three seasons, but just ask the Italians and they would most likely affirm that Ronaldo actually made Juventus a worse, instead of the best, team.
There’s that popular saying in showbiz that says it ain’t over until the fat lady sings. Well, as far as Juventus are concerned, the grand Old Lady took the microphone and crooned her last song last season with Ronaldo skulking in the wings.
And yet in the pubs, bars and homes of Manchester, I’m certain one can still hear the unmistakable clinking of glasses raised to toast the grand return of United’s celebrated savior.