Atletico Madrid broke their Cristiano Ronaldo curse in the Champions League. After six unsuccessful attempts while he was a part of Real Madrid and Juventus, they finally got over the hump and eliminated the Portuguese player from the biggest club competition in the world. Manchester United came out and disappointed their home fans once again, putting on a dismal display. As this should have major implications on the immediate future of the English powerhouse, here are three takeaways from Manchester United's dismal Champions League Round of 16 exit vs Atletico.
Takeaways from Atletico eliminating Manchester United
Harry Maguire should not touch the Manchester United jersey ever again
Now, the criticism for Harry Maguire really started when he was brought in for a record £80 million in the summer of 2019. He was brought in from Leicester City after some good performances, but no one except Manchester United executives believed he was worth that money.
Well, almost three years later, even those executives cannot seriously consider Maguire to be worth one fraction of that. Criticism that was pointed at him and will continue to be pointed at him as long as he is playing for the Red Devils was not always fully warranted. He is not on the level of Virgil Van Dijk or Ruben Dias, but he was more than solid for stretches of his Manchester United career. Now, after his last few performances, we cannot even say he is solid anymore.
Maguire would have been a world-class center-back in another era, where tall but slow defenders were elite. In the modern football era, where the center-back is expected to be as good on the ball as midfielders, he is a waste of a spot in the starting eleven.
Unfortunately for Manchester United, it seems like both Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ralf Rangnick believe in him, so their fans have to witness a poor game every week when he is on the pitch. He did not have any major mistakes against Atletico Madrid, but he was very unsure on the ball and could not cope with the pace of Atletico players at times. In simpler terms, Harry Maguire should not feature for Manchester United past this season.
Cristiano Ronaldo is useless without a proper midfield to supply him
Now, it is important to say that while this is true, it is difficult to judge this statement based on this game specifically. Manchester United did everything they could to supply the Portuguese player. It is clear to everyone involved he is the focal point of the offense. Without him, the Red Devils would likely be fighting for midtable in the English Premier League, while being lucky to reach the Europa League from third place of their Champions League group.
Unfortunately for them, the way Atletico Madrid plays is specific in terms of holding a very low block, even when in possession of the ball, which does not leave a ton of space for attackers. However, they have been beaten playing that type of football before.
The key to beating them is winning the midfield battle and controlling the ball. For that, Manchester United needed creative midfielders who can hold the ball but also provide service to Ronaldo up front, and Jadon Sancho and Anthony Elanga on the wings.
Yet, Rangnick decided to start this game with two defensive-minded players in the middle, while fully knowing what he could expect from Diego Simeone on the other side. By doing so, he effectively cut off Ronaldo, who did try and get the ball, but it was mostly deep, where he is basically useless. Ronaldo is not the type of player to take the ball into a low block and try and break it. He is too old for that, so he needs someone to supply him. With two defensive midfielders in the setup, however, that supply will never reach Ronaldo and that is exactly what happened.
Ralf Rangnick is way past it and Manchester United is lucky he is leaving
When Ralf Rangnick was given this caretaker spot after the firing of Solskjaer, some Manchester United fans called on him to remain. Rangnick is a good coach, or at least he was a couple of years back. His run brought TSG Hoffenheim from the third to the first division and even won them the seventh spot in his first Bundesliga season. Rangnick then took over coaching and sports director duties for RB Leipzig, transforming them into the stable Bundesliga team that they are. He was hailed as a visionary, a transformational coach who can help any team get where they need to be.
After his short run as Manchester United coach, many teams will think twice before calling him in for an interview. In all honesty, Rangnick had some good moments, but overall, the picture is not looking good. His lasting effect will likely be the promotion of Anthony Elanga into a full first-team starter, and if he is only remembered by that by Manchester United fans, he should be very happy.
It is entirely possible that Rangnick knew what he was getting himself into, so he decided to just stick around until the end of the season and then assume the sporting director role, as it is rumored will happen. At the coaching position, however, Manchester United needs something else. It remains to be seen what that ‘else' is, but they can now be sure it is not Rangnick.
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